Former Clinton pollster Doug Schoen stated on Monday that the Democratic Party “exists only to oppose” Republicans and is “out of step” with mainstream Americans. During President Donald Trump’s 99-minute address to Congress on March 4, Democrats remained seated and offered minimal applause—even when Secret Service Director Sean Curran presented DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old Houston-area resident battling brain cancer, with credentials and received a hug in return.
Schoen told “Fox and Friends” guest host Charlie Hurt that the party “doesn’t have new ideas,” following his criticism of Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff’s comments that the party wasn’t bold enough. “What I just heard was basically wrong from Adam Schiff. The Democrats were and are out of step with the American people,” Schoen told Hurt about Schiff’s remarks.
“The American people want to move in the direction Donald Trump is moving in terms of the budget, certainly the border. They probably don’t want to move as quickly as he does, but they see my party as rudderless, leaderless, without a message, strategy and out of touch with the American people. And I think the polls bear that out,” he added, likely referencing that the Democrats’ favorability has plummeted to 29%, according to a CNN poll released in March.
“I have been a centrist since the days when I worked for Bill Clinton in the White House,” Schoen said. “I believe in a moderate Democratic Party. And right now, my party exists only to oppose the Republicans. It doesn’t have new ideas, fresh ideas, frankly any ideas other than oppose, which works if Trump is unpopular, but doesn’t work in a national election.”
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York faced criticism from left-wing media and fellow Democrats in Congress for his decision to support a GOP-backed spending bill to avert a government shutdown in March. Data for Progress, a left-leaning polling firm, found that Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York leads him by 19 points in a potential 2028 primary race.
“Who do you think will emerge from all of this and maybe lead your party in a smarter direction?” Hurt asked Schoen. “At this point, I really don’t know,” Schoen said. “Somebody like [Andy] Beshear, the governor of Kentucky represents one person who fit that. Gretchen Whitmer, Gavin Newsom, Josh Shapiro, usually it’s the governors, and frequently in the case of Carter and Clinton, a southern governor. But somebody could emerge in the way that Obama did in 2007 or 2008. Right now, Charlie, there’s no good answer to your question that I think myself or any other top Democratic strategist can answer with certainty.”