Democrats don’t need to copy the Republican playbook to win back young, male voters. The left has been winning elections with its own brand of joyful, responsible men. 

New domestic violence accusations against Republican congressman Max Miller of Ohio, coming quickly on the heels of the sexual assault scandal that ended Graham Platner’s Maine Senate race in July 2026, have me thinking: As more Millennial and Gen Z men run for office, we’re going to have to address the edgelord issue. 

The webspeak term “edgelord,” which originated online sometime around 2010 but became more common parlance by 2018, refers to people embracing subversive bigoted attitudes to seem cool or edgy. 

Merriam Webster defines an edgelord as “someone who makes wildly dark and exaggerated statements (as on an internet forum) with the intent of shocking others.” But there’s more to this digital-era “edginess”: Edgelords like the manosphere podcaster Joe Rogan and the right-wing agitator Nick Fuentes don’t necessarily mean what they say; often, they’re just trying to get a rise out of us. Their “shock jock” attitude provides cover to defend bad behavior—like, say, offensive tattoos or misogynistic behavior—as simply guys being guys. 

The young male attraction to edgelord “edginess” has helped Trump and MAGA Republicans win over more white men, especially young men. Gen Z guys, especially, seem drawn to the feeling of acceptance in this online man’s world—even, or perhaps particularly, if these young men don’t feel so successful in real life.  

Republicans and Democrats handled the allegations against their candidates differently. After Platner was accused of rape in July 2026, he quickly lost his party’s support and dropped out. So far, GOP leadership is standing by Miller’s re-election. 

But with the midterms fast approaching, why would Democrats ever embrace this destructive ideology at all? After all, the left already has a much more appealing brand of masculinity that’s actually won races—the joyful, responsible masculinity embodied by many of its rising stars.

What is an edgelord politician?

Platner, 41, ran an openly edgelord Senate campaign. 

A Marine turned oyster farmer who was once a mercenary soldier for the private military firm Blackwater (now Constellis) in the Middle East, he had an apparent Nazi tattoo whose symbolism he initially denied understanding. Platner dismissed a trail of homophobic, racist, and sexist comments on Reddit as a “stupid........

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