Portside

A new poll has revealed a widening rift between Democratic Party leadership and its voter base, with a majority of Democrats calling for a change at the top. The findings come amid ongoing internal strife, disillusionment with the party’s response to escalating authoritarianism, and mounting frustration over the failure to embrace popular progressive policies.

The Reuters/Ipsos survey, released Thursday, found that 62 percent of self-identified Democrats believe the party should replace its current leaders. Just 24 percent disagreed with that sentiment, and 14 percent either did not know or chose not to respond. The poll included over 4,200 respondents, with 1,293 identifying as Democrats, and was conducted earlier this month.

The results land at a moment of crisis for the Democratic Party. Following staggering losses in the 2024 election cycle—losing both the White House and the Senate—Democrats have struggled to offer a coherent strategy or vision in opposition to President Donald Trump’s increasingly authoritarian administration. Conservative and centrist commentators have argued that Democrats must shift further right to win back voters, but polling shows the party’s base wants the opposite.

Indeed, the Reuters/Ipsos data suggests broad support among Democrats for policies that many party leaders have failed to champion. Roughly four out of five Democrats—or more—said they want the party to prioritize universal health care, affordable child care, and raising taxes on the wealthy. However, fewer believed the party was actually focused on delivering those priorities.

Despite strong grassroots support, the majority of elected Democrats in Washington continue to resist progressive proposals like Medicare for All. Senator Bernie Sanders’s most recent Medicare for All bill, introduced earlier this year, had only 15 Democratic cosponsors out of the 47 Democrats in the Senate caucus. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was not among them.

Instead of taxing the wealthy, Democratic leaders have often appeared to court billionaires. In recent weeks, some within the party suggested Democrats should reach out to Elon Musk, who recently severed ties with Trump but has maintained public connections to white supremacist figures and neo-Nazis. Such proposals have been met with alarm by progressives who see them as symbolic of the party’s unwillingness to break from corporate influence.

The party’s handling of foreign policy has also drawn intense scrutiny. As Trump has increased military posturing toward Iran, Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have offered little resistance—and in some cases, have openly supported aggressive U.S. action. Despite polling that shows Americans overwhelmingly oppose war with Iran and prefer diplomatic approaches, the Democratic leadership has failed to counter Trump’s narrative.

Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has remained largely silent amid the rising tensions. On the campaign trail last year, Harris named Iran as the United States’ top enemy. That position has continued to concern anti-war Democrats who hoped for a shift in tone.

One of the few prominent party figures to publicly reject this approach was David Hogg, the Parkland survivor and progressive organizer who served as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee. After criticizing the party’s leadership for failing to oppose the Trump administration’s war efforts and general complacency, Hogg was removed from his position.

“Any Democrat who supports this war with Iran needs to be primaried,” Hogg posted on social media earlier this week. “Our generation grew up going through two multi trillion dollar wars we should have never been involved in. We are not fucking going back to that. If you think this is a good idea, read a history book.”

Hogg later announced he would not seek re-election to the DNC role, further highlighting the party’s internal rift. Around the same time, the head of a powerful teachers union also stepped down from party leadership, and calls have intensified for DNC Chair Ken Martin to resign.

Discord has also spread to Capitol Hill, where the leadership’s messaging and legislative decisions have been criticized from within. Schumer in particular has faced attacks from members of his own caucus. Earlier this spring, he voted to advance a GOP-led funding bill, prompting public backlash from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“There is a deep sense of outrage and betrayal,” Ocasio-Cortez said at the time of Schumer’s decision.

The party’s challenges extend to how it navigates key social issues, including LGBTQ+ rights. Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware, the first openly transgender member of Congress, recently said that Democrats must make more room for debate and welcome “imperfect allies” in order to build long-term support for trans rights.

This combination of ideological drift, internal dysfunction, and strategic confusion has left many voters—and even some officials—questioning the direction of the Democratic Party. The Reuters/Ipsos polling results reflect that crisis, suggesting that the leadership’s inability to rally around a progressive platform or stand firmly against Trump’s escalating authoritarianism has alienated large swaths of its own base.