In an era of razor-thin margins and a rapidly evolving media landscape, the “average voter” is a myth. To win in 2026, Democratic campaigns must move beyond basic demographics and partisan history to understand the underlying values that drive voter behavior.

DSPolitical’s MaryEllen Veliz joined Josh Yazman, Director of Research at Catalist, for a deep dive into the revalidation of the Peoria Values Clusters 2.0. The core takeaway: precision is the difference between a winning strategy and a wasted budget.

What is Peoria 2.0?

The Peoria Project categorizes the electorate into nine distinct clusters based on deep-seated values like trust in institutions, economic sensitivity, and optimism, rather than just Red vs. Blue. While these clusters have remained remarkably stable since their inception, the recent revalidation confirms they are highly relevant for navigating thed 2026 midterm cycle.

The Nine Values Clusters at a Glance

To move beyond the monolith, Peoria 2.0 breaks the electorate into three distinct categories, each containing three clusters defined by their worldviews:

Democratic-Leaning: The Base of Values

• Super Seculars: Culturally progressive and strongly anti-authoritarian.
• Civic Faithful: Characterized by high social trust and engagement in politics. 
• Family and Future: Optimistic individuals with high agency but low trust in large institutions.

The Middle: The Battleground of Nuance

• Struggling Skeptics: Independent, suspicious of political systems, and highly sensitive to economic shifts.
• Disheartened but Determined: Pessimistic about the current state of affairs but resolved to persevere; generally suspicious of politics.
• Nostalgic Traditionalists: Believers in an established social order who often feel threatened by cultural change.

Republican-Leaning: The Conservative Spectrum

• Merit and Market: Fiscal conservatives focused on free markets with fewer cultural ties to the far right.
• Concerned Conservatives: Primarily women whose political concerns center on the perceived instability of modern society.
• Proud Providers: Primarily men who are both culturally and fiscally conservative.

Key Takeaways for Activation

At DSPolitical, our focus is always on activation. Having the data is only half the battle; the real work begins when those insights inform your messaging and media mix.

1. Reaching the Struggling Skeptic

One of the most critical audiences discussed was the Struggling Skeptic cluster. 

• The Strategy: Campaigns can’t reach these voters with traditional partisan “rah-rah” messaging.
• The Activation: Use precise targeting to deliver specific creative that addresses real-world costs (like gas prices or childcare) on the platforms where these skeptics actually consume information, such as YouTube and gaming environments.

2. Precision Over Broad Reach

MaryEllen emphasized that “overgeneralization results in wasted spend” and treating the “persuadable middle” as a single block is an outdated tactic. By using Peoria clusters, campaigns can identify Democratic-leaning defectors (like the Family and Future cluster) and tailor content specifically to their values.

During the webinar, MaryEllen and Josh spent time deconstructing the idea that middle-of-the-road or persuadable voters can be reached with a one-size-fits-all message. In reality, this segment is composed of multiple distinct audiences—including Struggling Skeptics, Nostalgic Traditionalists, and Disheartened but Determined voters, each with diametrically opposed motivations and worldviews. Treating this group as a monolith not only dilutes your message but also leads to inefficient targeting and wasted spend. The power of Peoria 2.0 lies in its ability to disaggregate these voters, allowing campaigns to speak directly to the specific values that actually move the needle for each unique subgroup, whether it’s economic sensitivity or institutional distrust.

3. Closing the Insights-to-Execution Gap

The webinar highlighted the synergy between Catalist’s data and DSPolitical’s tech stack. Our Deploy platform is built to take these nuanced audiences and activate them instantly with 90%+ match rates.

• Deterministic Matching: We ensure your Super Secular or Disheartened but Determined targets actually see your ads by matching voter-file data to real online identities across every device.

Onward

As we head into a cycle that is expected to break digital ad spending records, the goal is meaningful connection. By leveraging Peoria 2.0 insights through DSPolitical’s award-winning activation technology, your campaign can stop guessing and start winning.

Ready to design a precise targeting program heading into primaries and midterms? Contact us today.