New polling suggests bans on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs divide the electorate more than they unite it.
A new Resonate poll shows how the fight over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs has become a flashpoint in partisan politics. The survey highlights sharp divides as several Republican-led states move to ban or defund DEI offices, framing them as wasteful and divisive, while Democrats argue such bans would strip away protections for students and workers.
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But will these moves actually help Republicans at the ballot box? A new Resonate report sheds light on the question, mapping how voters process DEI bans across demographic groups. The answers suggest that while bans may rally a primary electorate, they carry hidden risks in the suburbs and swing states that will decide 2026 and 2028.
DEI bans seem to be a typical culture-war issue, used by Republican governors to show their opposition to "woke ideology." More than a dozen states, including Florida and Texas, have implemented restrictions. Conservative media frames the end of DEI as a defense of meritocracy.
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Resonate’s data, however, complicates the picture. Only a narrow slice of voters say DEI is a top priority. For most, the issue barely registers compared with inflation, healthcare, or immigration. This means that while bans can energize activists and donors, they risk crowding out economic messaging that has broader appeal.
Republicans are betting that DEI bans help them sharpen contrasts. Governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott have turned DEI rollbacks into headline achievements, and congressional Republicans are exploring federal defunding proposals. The GOP argues that DEI is expensive, divisive, and unjust.
Democrats counter by highlighting the lived impact. They argue that eliminating DEI programs makes workplaces less fair, campuses less inclusive, and government less responsive. President Biden’s reelection campaign leaned on DEI rhetoric sparingly. Still, Democratic governors in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin have used opposition to DEI bans as a way to draw a bright line between inclusion and exclusion.
The real battleground is not partisan diehards but persuadable blocs. According to Resonate, Independents split sharply. In Pennsylvania, 46% of Independents say DEI bans go too far, while only 29% support them. Among suburban women, the gap widens further: nearly six in ten oppose bans.
By contrast, Republican men without college degrees show overwhelming support, often by margins above 70%. The bans' utility as a base-mobilization tool is confirmed, but their limitations are also evident.
Generational divides are equally stark. Voters under 40 reject DEI bans by double digits. College-educated Gen Z and Millennial voters interpret bans as proof that Republicans are hostile to progress. That reaction is not confined to Democrats; even young conservatives express discomfort when bans are framed as restricting individual opportunity.
Republicans may be winning the culture war headlines, but the strategy comes with risks. While anti-“woke” messaging energizes the conservative base, it threatens to push away suburban moderates in battleground states. In places like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, where elections are often decided by razor-thin margins, this could backfire.
Democrats are already positioning the bans as proof that Republicans are fixated on symbolic fights instead of addressing the rising cost of living, healthcare affordability, and other kitchen-table issues. If Republicans cannot broaden their appeal beyond culture-war victories, they risk weakening the economic credibility that helped Trump retake the White House in 2024.
For Republicans, leaning too heavily on DEI bans is risky outside of deep-red districts. The smarter approach is to acknowledge the issue to reassure the base but then pivot quickly to core concerns like inflation, wages, and healthcare. Without that shift, Republicans open themselves to attacks that they are more interested in cultural policing than solving everyday problems.
For Democrats, the opening is to tie DEI bans to a broader story about rights and fairness. In swing states such as Pennsylvania, the most effective message connects DEI to economic inclusion, showing that bans harm students, veterans, and small business owners as well as marginalized groups. The broader challenge for both parties is coalition management: Republicans need to keep blue-collar populists on board without losing suburban moderates, while Democrats must motivate progressives without pushing away Independents.
The Resonate report clearly indicates DEI bans have consequences. They sharpen partisan edges, but they also deepen generational and suburban divides. For Republicans, the risk is becoming defined by cultural retrenchment at the expense of bread-and-butter concerns. For Democrats, the danger is slipping into abstract defenses that do not connect to voters’ daily lives.
Heading into 2026, campaigns cannot treat DEI bans as background noise. For voters, these issues symbolize the kind of America they envision: one that reinforces traditional hierarchies or one that champions pluralism and fairness. Operatives should be aware of the electoral consequences of DEI bans.