New polling highlights the depth of Democratic discontent six months after the election, with skepticism cutting across age groups and racial lines, leaving party leaders struggling to repair their image with voters.
According to a May survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only about one-third of Democrats now say they feel “very optimistic” or even “somewhat optimistic” about their party. That marks a steep decline from July 2024, when nearly 60% of Democrats said they believed the party was making progress.
Then came President Joe Biden’s widely criticized debate performance, which ultimately led to his decision to withdraw from the race. Since that turning point, Democratic approval ratings have steadily declined, sinking to some of the lowest levels seen in recent polling. “I’m not real high on Democrats right now,” Damien Williams, a 48-year-old Democrat from Cahokia Heights, Illinois, told the AP. “To me, they’re not doing enough to push back against Trump.”
Williams, a member of the Teamsters union—which remained neutral in the 2024 election for the first time in recent memory—said the Democratic Party’s struggles won’t be resolved “until someone emerges as a leader capable of driving real, positive change—an Obama-like figure.”
The poll arrives at a pivotal moment for Democrats. Prominent voices such as California Governor Gavin Newsom, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), and former Clinton advisor James Carville have urged party activists to abandon rigid ideological litmus tests, particularly on divisive social issues they believe played a major role in the Harris campaign’s collapse on election night.
In the latest poll, rank-and-file Democrats expressed mixed views on some of the party’s most high-profile national figures. Just 4 in 10 voters overall view Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) favorably, even as he attempts to reenergize the progressive and populist base that fueled his two unsuccessful presidential bids. Among Democrats, however, support remains stronger, with roughly 3 in 4 expressing a positive opinion.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who joined Sanders on the nationwide “Fight Oligarchy” tour aboard a private jet, fares less well within the party. Only about half of Democrats report having a favorable view of her. That’s unfortunate for the “Squad” founder, who some sources allege is focusing on the 2028 election, even as constituents at home criticize her lack of attention to the fundamental issues of representing them in Congress.
“I just feel like the majority of the old Democratic Party needs to go,” said Democrat Monica Brown, a 61-year-old social worker from Knoxville, Tennessee. “They’re not in tune with the new generation. They’re not in tune with the new world. We’ve got such division within the party.”
Williams, a Teamster from Illinois, expressed that the chaos emerging from Washington, D.C. has led him to believe that only a new generation of leaders can resolve the issues created by Biden, Harris, and their supporters. “I’m going to need to see some wins for America, for humanity, before I can be optimistic right now,” he said. “Every day is just a constant barrage of negative feelings and news politically. It’s all screwed up right now.”