SO MUCH CRINGE: Liberal Media Outlet ‘Axios’ Reports Democrats’ New Midterm Strategy is ‘Bringing Sexy Back’

During a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff attacks President Trump’s relationship with aide Natalie Harp. Screenshot

Ever since the 2024 election and even before that, the Democrats have been struggling with men. Male voters have been abandoning the Democrats in droves and the party has no idea what to do about it.

They basically painted themselves into a corner on this by spending years demonizing men and pushing terms like ‘toxic masculinity.’ Their efforts to turn this around now come off as hollow and desperate.

The media is trying so hard to help them. The liberal journal the Atlantic recently published a piece declaring that the era of the Democrat ‘manly man’ is back.

Now the liberal outlet Axios is reporting that the Democrats are bringing sexy back, with male candidates who are willing to unbutton the top button of their shirts on CNN.

.@ajlotz8 reports on Dems latest campaign tactic: thirst traps.

Unbuttoned shirts on CNN.
Exposed bicepson the rally stage.
Made-for-TikTok thirst trap b-roll.
And the return of the tan suit.https://t.co/tPpf4CMdLV

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) August 18, 2026

This is beyond parody:

Democrats enter their thirst trap era

Democrats seem to be leaning into a specific midterm strategy, especially on socials: bringing sexy back.

Unbuttoned shirts on CNN. Exposed biceps on the rally stage. Made-for-TikTok thirst trap b-roll. And the return of the tan suit.

Why it matters: The left is leaning into candidates who look young, energetic and even desirable, with fresh faces often eclipsing the older guard.

“We see a rise in young millennials, or the top part of Gen Z, trying to get into office,” says Grace Weinstein, a politics and culture senior correspondent at The Recount and founder of “Who Broke It.” “We’re talking about a generation that is not always image obsessed, but always image aware.”

The big picture: Democrats are working through identity growing pains between the left flank and the party’s establishment. But with moderates and progressives alike, Dems are playing the sex appeal card.

The party’s main TikTok page has given big names the thirst trap treatment, including: Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) (nicknamed “Senator My Boo” by internet fans), Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in his tight-fitting T-shirts, a grinning NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former President Obama with a touch of gray, among others.

How is this even real?

Washington DC journos never left high school, did they.

JFC man. Thirst traps??? Take several seats.

— Slow down and see clearly (@are_selfies) August 18, 2026

The cringe is off the charts.

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