- A new CNN poll shows American views of the Democratic Party have dropped to a record low, with only 29% viewing it positively. Support has also fallen among Democrats, with just 63% holding a positive view of the party.
- Many Democrats want their leaders to take a firmer stance against the GOP with this tension intensifying after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats voted with Republicans on a spending bill.
- As the Democratic Party seeks a new direction, a recent poll shows the majority favored Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as someone who best represents the core values of the party.
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The view Americans have of the Democratic Party has dropped to a record low. A new CNN poll said 29% view the party positively. Even among Democrats, support fell. Just 63% of party members said they view their party positively.
Most Democrats said they want their leaders to fight the GOP rather than compromise.
The survey released Sunday, March 16, was taken just days before 10 Democratic senators, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, voted with Republicans to advance a GOP-authored spending bill to avert a government shutdown.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries made it clear he opposes the GOP bill and wanted senate Democrats to kill it in the upper chamber.
When asked multiple times Friday, March 14, if he has confidence in the senate leader after Schumer announced he would join Republicans to help pass the bill, Jeffries declined to weigh in and said “next question.”
Schumer faces more backlash over antisemitism book
Meanwhile, as Schumer faces backlash over his vote to avert the government shutdown, a tour around Schumer’s new book, “Antisemitism in America” is postponed over security concerns.
Jewish activists were planning to protest at the events, accusing him of failing to stop antisemitism by not passing the proposed antisemitism awareness act.
AOC gains popularity among Democrats
The negative reaction to Schumer from his own party has included calls for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to challenge him in his next senate run.
When asked to name “the Democratic leader they feel best reflects the core values of the Democratic party” in CNN’s new poll, 10% of respondents named Ocasio-Cortez.
Approximately 9% said former Vice President Kamala Harris, 8% named Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and 6% said Jeffries.
Axios senior political reporter Alex Isenstadt said on “Inside Politics Sunday” Ocasio-Cortez as the favorite doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
“Her rise kind of reminds me of what happened to Republicans after Obama’s election in 2008,” Isenstadt said Sunday, March 15.
The future of the Democratic party
As the Democratic party searches for a new direction, they’re holding a series of town halls in Republican-held districts, in all 50 states.
Over the weekend, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota headlined events in Iowa and Nebraska.
During the election cycle, the GOP called out Democrats, saying they were too focused on culture-war issues and not on the economy.
Now, many Democrats share a belief that President Donald Trump is not focused on cost-of-living issues and instead, along with Elon Musk, is looking to make cuts to programs like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security to enact tax breaks for billionaires and corporations.
Trump said he will not entirely cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid benefits and is focused on getting rid of the fraud within those programs.
As for Republicans, the party had a slightly higher approval rating than Democrats, about 36%, in CNN’s new survey.
