Over the past several years, Labor Day in the United States has become more than just a day off work and a celebration of the nation’s labor force. It’s also turned into a litmus test for the shifting allegiances and priorities of America’s major political parties. The Democratic Party, once the standard-bearer for blue-collar workers and organized labor, now finds itself at the center of an identity crisis—one that has become glaringly apparent in the wake of the 2024 election and the policy shifts of recent administrations.
According to ConservativeHQ, Democrats have moved away from their traditional pro-union, pro-American manufacturing roots. The party’s current agenda, critics argue, leans heavily toward social causes, free programs for young urban professionals, and expanded rights for LGBTQ++ communities and undocumented immigrants. This transformation has not gone unnoticed by voters—or by some within the party itself.
One of the most vocal critics from within Democratic ranks is David Hogg, the 25-year-old vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). On August 29, 2025, Hogg openly criticized his party for being, in his words, "too hostile toward men," a factor he believes contributed significantly to the Democrats’ defeat in the 2024 election. Speaking on "Real Time with Bill Maher," Hogg said, "What I think happened last election is younger men — they would rather vote for somebody who they don’t completely agree with, they don’t feel judged by, than somebody who they do agree with, that they feel like they have to walk on eggshells around constantly because they’re going to be judged or ostracized or excommunicated."
Hogg’s critique is not without data to back it up. As reported by Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, young men aged 18 to 29 broke decisively for President Trump in 2024, supporting him 56% to 42% over former Vice President Kamala Harris. In contrast, women in the same age group favored Harris 58% to 41%. Hogg contended that Democrats have become too elitist and need to do a better job of "meeting people where they are." He added, perhaps only half-jokingly, that "young people should be able to focus on what young people should be focused on, which is how to get laid and how to go and have fun."
The party’s internal struggles go beyond generational divides. Hogg himself has recently come under fire for his plans to use his Leaders We Deserve political action committee to spend at least $20 million influencing Democratic primaries in safe districts. The controversy deepened after it was revealed he used DNC contact lists to solicit donations for his PAC, leading to accusations that he was leveraging party resources for his personal agenda.
This internal discord has spilled into official party business. In July 2025, Native American activist Kalyn Free filed a formal complaint alleging that the DNC vice chair election violated party bylaws and the charter’s gender equality provisions. According to Semafor, Free argued that by aggregating votes across ballots and failing to distinguish between gender categories, the process undermined both fairness and gender diversity. The DNC is set to convene a virtual meeting on September 1, 2025, to address the complaint.
Hogg, for his part, has suggested that Democrats should move away from identity-based rules and focus on merit. "I don’t even know if it makes sense for us to have the gender balance rule anymore in this day and age, because I want to focus on whoever’s just best at the job, great at this point, that’s my idea," Hogg explained. The party’s leadership, however, is pushing back. DNC chairman Ken Martin has advocated for new rules requiring officers to remain neutral in primaries, stating, "Our job is to be neutral arbiters. We can’t be both the referee and also the player at the same time." The DNC is expected to vote on this measure in August, a decision that could force Hogg to reconsider his role.
The Democratic Party’s internal debates are unfolding against the backdrop of sweeping policy reversals and economic shifts under the Trump and Biden administrations. The House Homeland Security Committee disclosed in February 2024 that during President Biden’s term, the U.S. saw approximately 11 million border encounters, with daily averages peaking at 15,000. By February 2025, just weeks into President Trump’s second term, those numbers had plummeted—daily border encounters were down 93%, gotaway encounters dropped 95%, and migrant crossings fell by 99.99%. March 2025 recorded the lowest monthly number of border encounters in history, at less than 7,200.
These dramatic changes in immigration enforcement have had direct consequences for America’s workforce. ConservativeHQ reports that between May 2019 and May 2024, employment for U.S.-born Americans increased by only 971,000, while employment among immigrants rose by 3.2 million. The labor force participation rate among U.S.-born men, especially those without a bachelor’s degree, has continued its decades-long decline, with the trend persisting even among men in their prime working years (25-54).
Economic policy has also been a point of fierce contention. President Biden’s attempt to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for college-educated borrowers with incomes up to $125,000 was struck down by the Supreme Court, but he continued to push for similar relief through executive action. President Trump, upon returning to office, reversed these policies and paused loan cancellation programs that benefited non-profit workers engaged in political work.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s climate and energy policies became lightning rods for criticism from labor unions and energy sector workers. Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office cost over 11,000 jobs, including 8,000 union positions, and contributed to a loss of more than 839,000 jobs in the broader energy sector. As Andy Black, president and CEO of the Association of Oil Pipelines, put it, "Killing 10,000 jobs and taking $2.2 billion in payroll out of workers’ pockets is not what Americans need or want right now." The Laborers’ International Union of North America called the decision "both insulting and disappointing to the thousands of hard-working members who will lose good-paying, middle-class family-supporting jobs."
Coal miners and their unions, once the backbone of Democratic support in states like West Virginia and Pennsylvania, have also felt abandoned. United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts admitted, "We’re trying to insert ourselves into this conversation because a lot of coal miners in this country and their families have suffered already some traumatic losses." Yet, as new “green energy” jobs failed to materialize in coal country, many workers were left with little to show for the promised transition.
The political realignment is perhaps most visible in the labor movement itself. In 2024, Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien delivered a historic address at the Republican National Convention, signaling a growing willingness among unions to support Republican candidates. As Rep. Mike Bresnahan of Pennsylvania noted, "Labor unions are finally recognizing the fact that their memberships are made up of workers from across the political spectrum." Even the once reliably Democratic National Border Patrol Council has become a vocal critic of the party’s immigration policies.
As the 2025 Labor Day approaches, the Democratic Party’s struggle to define its relationship with working-class Americans, its internal governance, and its approach to identity and merit remains unresolved. The party’s future may well depend on whether it can bridge these divides—or whether its traditional base will continue to slip away.
