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Have Democrats turned toward the middle? While liberal lawmakers seek attention and “martyrdom” by getting arrested and the most radical on the left continue to hurl headlong into extremism, more of the people who make up the Democratic Party’s voting base seem to prefer a focus on “kitchen table” issues.
According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, some 62% of “self-identified Democrats” agree with the statement that “the leadership of the Democratic Party should be replaced with new people.” In other words, out with the old and in with the new. Just 24% disagreed, and the rest either didn’t know or didn’t answer. Meanwhile, just 30% of Republicans thought the same of their leadership.
Tallying up seven recent polls over the last few months, the RCP Average Democratic Party Favorability sits at just 34.7%. Of the polls counted, not a single one had a favorable rating above 43 or an unfavorable rating below 53.
The move to oust the old guard of the Democratic Party extended into the halls of power, but ultimately failed. David Hogg, a young activist who’s arguably about as far left as one can get, threatened to launch a $20 million campaign to support primary opponents for Democrats otherwise considered safe in the upcoming 2026 elections. He was subsequently removed as Democratic National Committee vice chair on a technicality and replaced. Two influential union leaders, Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers and Lee Saunders of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, had supported Hogg and his mission to refresh the ranks with new blood. They quit their posts shortly after in protest.
What has the common folk so dissatisfied? Well, for one, none of the Democrats are happy about what happened in the 2024 elections. Kamala Harris and Company failed so spectacularly that Republicans didn’t just win the White House for Donald Trump again; they handed him a trifecta to go with it, capturing both chambers of Congress.
One reason many Democrats believe this happened – and why they fear 2028 may not go any better for them – is that the party elites and elected officials aren’t focusing enough on the things that actually matter in the real world. “Voters are very impatient right now,” Mark Riddle of Future Majority, a Democratic research firm, told reporters. “They want elected officials at all levels to address the cost of living, kitchen-table issues and affordability.” Democrats who responded to the survey said their leaders should be prioritizing paid family leave for workers with sick family or new babies, affordable childcare, reduced prescription prices, and less money in politics. Unsurprisingly, many feel their elected representatives and party leaders don’t care enough about these issues.
Also unsurprising is that most voters who identified as Democrats (77%) still found abortion access to be critically important. But just 17%, on the other hand, felt that allowing transgender people to compete in women’s and girls’ sports should be a priority. “There are more important things to be moving the needle on,” 33-year-old Benjamin Villagomez of Austin, TX, told Reuters. “There are more pressing issues, things that actually matter to people’s livelihoods.” And Villagomez is trans!
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Do Democrats secretly want all the same things as Republican voters, minus Trump? It wouldn’t be the first time they – or even the party elites – took a similar stance. Recall Bill Clinton’s crackdown on illegal immigration and that Barack Obama went on to deport even more illegals. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both supported Trump-like trade policies – until it came time to debate Trump, of course. And finally, as previously reported by Liberty Nation News, historically, nobody cuts the federal workforce like Democrats. The left may lament Trump’s reduction of government payrolls, but “since 1945, Democrats have made three times as many cuts as Republicans, removing 905,000 federal jobs to the GOP’s 295,000.” And Clinton was one of the top trimmers.
So, has the left gone MAGA? Not quite. While the GOP goes about attempting to cut taxes and spending to make life more affordable, Democrats still take a very left-wing approach, the poll shows. Things like universal healthcare, higher taxes on the rich, and higher minimum wage ranged in popularity from as high as 89% to only as low as 71%. They may be unimpressed by the antics of their legislators, who feign passion in post-arrest speeches while otherwise maintaining the status quo. And, yes, many are likely put off by the extremism on display by the most radical of the far-left groups. But they’re still Democrats. Their idea of solving America’s problems is still more government intervention, not less.