Dem
47
GOP
53
Losing the presidential election, along with the Senate, was a severe blow to the Democrats. Now they are adrift and leaderless. Many Democratic voters are profoundly dissatisfied with the highest-ranking congressional Democrats on account of their unwillingless to fight Co-Presidents Elon Musk and Donald Trump at every turn. While the blue team has limited political power (except for the filibuster), they do have some ability to affect public opinion and try to turn it against the co-presidents, one of whom (Musk) is already fairly unpopular.
In addition, the Democrats are having an identity crisis. They don't quite know who they are or what they stand for. The party was unified in 2017 under the banner of "The Resistance." There is none of that now. Some people are calling for new leadership. At a recent town hall, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) obliquely called for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to step down. He said: "I do think on the leadership question, it's always better to examine whether folks are in the right place, and we're certainly going to have that conversation." Bennet might be the first senator to suggest that Schumer's best-by date was a few years ago, but probably won't be the last to suggest new (and possibly younger) leadership is needed.
A CNN poll showed 52% of Democratic-aligned adults saying the party leadership is taking the country in the wrong direction vs. 48% saying it is taking the country in the right direction. It is not a good sign for half your base to oppose the leadership.
One person who understands that Democratic voters are unhappy with their leaders is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). She is also good with social media, and was the first person to acquire a million followers on Bluesky. She is on the road with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour. The two of them are holding rallies attacking oligarchs like Elon Musk. They held one in Greeley, CO, that drew 11,000 people. After the Greeley rally, they held another in Denver, where they drew an estimated 34,000 people. Here it is:
Many people are urging AOC to primary Schumer in 2028, when he is up for reelection. She does have a track record of knocking off older establishment figures in a primary. If she were to be elected to the Senate in 2028, she would instantly become part of a new generation of Democratic leaders. But even before then, some Democrats are quietly beginning to talk about Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who is 51, replacing Schumer (74) as the leader of the Senate Democrats. He has certainly been more aggressively anti-Trump than Schumer. Schumer has said he has no intention of stepping down (English translation: "The votes to replace me aren't there [yet]").
An interesting test of where the Democrats want to go will soon happen in Arizona in the special election to replace the late Raúl Grijalva in AZ-07. The filing deadline will be April 14, the primary will be July 15, and the general election will be Sept. 23. Grijalva's daughter, Pima County supervisor Adelita, is a progressive like her father and might run. So might Arizona SoS Adrian Fontes (D). Fontes is more moderate than Grijalva. Even if it is not that duo, there will almost certainly be a lefty versus a centrist. Several Republicans are thinking of running, but since the district is D+15, it hardly matters who wins the Republican primary. (V)