Reagan, whose swing voters were Southerners and blue-collar Democrats, sometimes deployed the language of values to stir resentment.

He grew up in a family of blue-collar Catholic Democrats.

He also said his campaign is attracting "blue-collar Democrats, a number of whom are Catholics who are pro-family, pro-life."

Among blue-collar Democrats, and among families earning $75,000 or more a year, they were also evenly split.

His hopes of victory rested on winning over the blue-collar Democrats and independents in the broad middle of the New Jersey electorate.

Kemp claims he can hold two new elements of the Reagan coalition: under-30 Republicans and ethnic blue-collar Democrats.

His challenge is to appeal to both middle-class suburban independents and disenchanted blue-collar Democrats.

In 1976, conservative blue-collar Democrats helped Jimmy Carter edge a field full of liberals.

Many blue-collar Democrats who need shoe repairs resent the Arkansas politician's draft deferment and believe he's a closet liberal.

They're going back and trying to get the Reagan Democrats - a blue-collar working-class Democrat.