Young men notice the difference. They see Republicans as confident and direct, Democrats as scripted and afraid to offend. Mr. Kirk capitalized on that contrast by showing up on left-leaning campuses, taking tough questions and engaging head-on. Young people didn’t always agree with him, but many respected his courage in meeting them where they were.

 

What Charlie Kirk Understood That Democrats Need to Learn

By John Della Volpe

Mr. Della Volpe is the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.

Here are five places to start:

• Abandon campaign-cycle thinking — Mr. Kirk built permanent social infrastructure, not seasonal outreach.

• Meet young men in cultural spaces — Democratic politics should be made to feel organic in gaming, fitness and entrepreneurship communities.

• Show leadership in hostile settings — Democrats must appear regularly on conservative podcasts and college campuses without scripts.

• Highlight tangible economic pathways — talk up legislation that helps create opportunities for apprenticeships with living wages and housing policies that deliver affordability in young Americans’ lifetimes.

• Create safe forums for talking about identity — Democrats need to form more spaces for discussing masculinity and purpose without ideological judgment.