Searchlight Institute

So you won. Now what? Democrats are the party of government.

Searchlight’s Marc Dunkelman on how newly-elected leaders in New Jersey and Virginia can work to restore trust in government.

“Democrats need to demonstrate to voters that when they are handed the reins, government gets better at solving real problems.”

How Zohran Mamdani Won By avoiding ‘crowding out,’ Mamdani drove a focus on the cost of living.

Mamdani's focus on public transit and childcare also broke through.

He likely benefited from voters identifying those issues as part of his wider platform on the cost of living.

www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/how...

Affordable housing and prices were the two top priorities for voters heading into the final days of the New York City mayoral. Crime was third.

Voters say Zohran Mamdani prioritized affordability more than Andrew Cuomo — who instead prioritized crime.

How Zohran Mamdani Won By avoiding ‘crowding out,’ Mamdani drove a focus on the cost of living.

We analyzed hundreds of ads, TikTok posts, and YouTube videos during the New York City mayoral.

Affordability was mentioned in nearly 80% of Zohran Mamdani's content during the election.

In all the content from Andrew Cuomo? Only a third.
www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/how...

The chart that should keep Democrats up at night At Searchlight, we’ve taken to calling this the “doomsday” chart. The news doesn’t start off great—with voters indicating they don’t believe Democrats want any of the things we offered as common topic...

“When a voter is unconvinced that a political party wants ‘good’ things for them, even the best crafted policies or messages quickly run up against a hard brick wall of resistance.”

Read more here: searchlightinst.substack.com/p/the-chart-...

Checking In On Party Vibes A topic of particular interest at Searchlight is how Americans engage with the two major parties. We’re curious about what draws people to each party, and what they believe each party does best.

Read the full poll here: www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/che...

The bigger picture is grim across both parties:
There was not a single issue a majority of Americans believed either party wanted for them.

We checked in on what voters think Democrats and Republicans want for them. The good news for Democrats is that they’re narrowly winning on “feeling stable in your personal life.” The bad news for them is that Republicans dominate on everything else: wealth, marriage, kids, and more.

🚨We’re growing! Searchlight is hiring for two key roles to support our team.

Apply here: www.searchlightinstitute.org/jobs/

Liberals have a policy pipeline problem. Let’s fix it. Before we get to the real post this morning, we want to flag that Searchlight is hiring! Visit our website for more information, and keep an eye out for new roles in the weeks to come.

Read here: searchlightinst.substack.com/p/liberals-h...

Conservatives spent decades building a talent pipeline. Liberals must build their own—or stay stuck playing defense. That's why we built the Searchlight fellowship program.

Apply Here: searchlightinstitute.smapply.us

We're looking for bold solutions to today's toughest challenges.

Pitch us yours.

It’s time for Democrats to finally assess the damage After a crushing defeat in 2024, Democratic officials opted to forego a fulsome assessment of what went wrong.

Here is the prologue by our VP of Policy Tré Easton: searchlightinst.substack.com/p/its-time-f...

After 2024’s crushing defeat, no real reckoning ever came.

Damage Assessments will dig into the policies, practices, & strategies that left liberals in the minority—and map a path forward.

many people are saying

The First Rule About Solving Climate Change While battleground voters overwhelmingly agree climate change is a problem, addressing it is not a priority for them.

To read more about the poll, visit our webpage to read the analysis: www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/the...

Right now, voters across the country are seeing their energy bills skyrocket. They want leaders to prioritize immediate cost relief on their utility bills — not long-term solutions like energy upgrades or cheaper EVs.

The reality is that the words “climate change” are polarizing. Mentioning “climate change” opens up a 50-point gap in support between Republicans and Democrats not present on other issues—like developing new energy sources or lowering energy prices.

Many Americans Say the Democratic Party Does Not Share Their Priorities

These results mirror a January @nytimes.com poll that found voters ranking economic issues as their top focus, but seeing neither the Democratic nor Republican Parties matching their issue priorities: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/u...

The top issues that battleground voters say leaders should focus on today are affordability, healthcare, and jobs. But when asked which top three issues they think the Democratic Party is focused on, they say climate change, LGBTQ+ issues, and healthcare:

Our new poll captures a complexity about American voters: They view climate change as a problem, but they want leaders to prioritize addressing other issues like affordability and healthcare.

Elected officials can and should lead on issues that they care deeply about, even if they are out of step with public opinion. However, leaders should be clear about where the public stands and not be fooled into thinking an issue is popular when it is not.

On Searchlight’s Data Principles A Message from Searchlight’s Director of Analytics…

For more on our data principles and commitment to data transparency: www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/on-...

Our First Published Work Housing costs are too high, but Americans aren’t unified on solutions

For more thoughts on this poll, check our substack from Charlotte: searchlightinst.substack.com/p/our-first-...

What Americans Think About Housing Housing costs are too high, but Americans aren’t unified on solutions

To read more about the poll, visit our webpage to read the analysis written by our Director of Analytics @charlotteeffect.bsky.social www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/wha...

On solutions, Americans are mixed. They are most supportive of requiring local governments to approve housing that meets their standards and making permitting for new housing faster and easier, but they still really like parking spaces:

So who/what do Americans blame for high housing prices? They think the primary drivers of high costs are investors using housing for profit, the high cost of building materials, and the rent-setting power of landlords.

Americans agree that housing is too expensive. But they aren’t sure that an increase in supply will lead to lower prices:

Check out our paper on the topic by Aaron Shroyer, Chad Maisel, Olivia Reneau, and Scott Moore searchlightinstitute.org/wp-content/u...