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Democrats are launching an aggressive campaign to win back voters they lost, not to Donald Trump, but to the proverbial \u201ccouch<\/a>,\u201d as they look to regain support ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) rolled out a new initiative called Local Listeners with the goal of targeting over one million \u201cinfrequent\u201d voters in key battleground districts. Seeking to build on the party\u2019s string of off-year election victories, which extended into 2026 with an upset in Texas last weekend, the DNC is betting that early, localized outreach will be crucial in winning back these voters\u2019 trust \u2013 and their ballots \u2013 this time around.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we want to keep earning back the trust and support of voters, we have to listen to them,\u201d DNC chair Ken Martin said in a statement, shared in advance with the Guardian. \u201cThis program modernizes the way we are talking to and hearing from the voters that we need to win elections now and for years to come. The Democratic Party is done with waiting until the last minute to engage voters \u2013 these conversations need to happen early and often.\u201d<\/p>\n The program marks the DNC\u2019s most ambitious early voter outreach effort for a midterm cycle, according to the organization. More than 2,000 volunteers have already signed up to participate in what the groups says is a sign, of \u201crenewed grassroots energy\u201d for the party.<\/p>\n Volunteers will undergo a seven-week training program on how to better engage these voters, including sessions on \u201cactive listening\u201d and \u201chaving difficult conversations about politics\u201d.<\/p>\n The goal is to engage voters who cast ballots for Joe Biden in 2020 but sat out in 2024, with volunteers aiming to conduct at least 250,000 phone conversations and host more than 50 grassroots events in key congressional districts by the end of March.<\/p>\n The Trump campaign employed a similar strategy in 2024, investing heavily<\/a> in outreach to newly registered and \u201clow propensity\u201d voters \u2013 those who are registered but often don\u2019t vote. According to the Pew Research Center, voters who cast ballots in 2024 but skipped the 2020 election despite being eligible, favored Trump by a margin of 54% to 42%<\/a>.<\/p>\n