There's something a little bizarre about the new Associated Press (AP)- National Opinion Research Center (NORC) Poll.
The raw numbers are fairly concerning for Democrats. The poll found that only about one-third of Democrats are “very optimistic” or even “somewhat optimistic” about the future of their party. In the summer of 2024, that number was 6 in 10 Democrats being optimistic or fairly optimistic.
These results are not totally unexpected following the drubbing Democrats absorbed at the polls last November. What's strange is that the primary reason for the pessimism appears to be that rank-and-file Democrats don't think the party is going after Trump hard enough.
“I’m not real high on Democrats right now,” said respondent Damien Williams from Cahokia Heights, Ill. “To me, they’re not doing enough to push back against Trump.”
Besides picking up a gun and storming the White House, what is it these Democrats want to see from their leadership?
On the other hand, 55% of Republicans say they are optimistic or fairly optimistic about their party's future. The difference, besides one party being in power and the other out of power, is who is leading it.
“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.”
Roughly 4 in 10 Americans have a favorable view of Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who has twice run for the Democratic presidential nomination and has toured the nation in recent months rallying anti-Trump resistance. Among self-described Democrats, about three-quarters view Sanders favorably.
About half of Democrats have a favorable view of Ocasio-Cortez, who has joined Sanders on the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. She is less popular among U.S. adults overall — about 3 in 10 have a favorable opinion of the 35-year-old representative, who is sometimes mentioned as a potential presidential candidate in 2028.
Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, is less popular than Sanders or Ocasio-Cortez.
Related: Gavin Newsom Has a New Strategy for the '28 Democratic Nomination: Attack the Homeless
Both parties share a pessimistic outlook on politics in general, going forward, with Republicans less so. Last summer, 73% of Republicans were pessimistic about the state of politics in America. That number is down significantly to about 50%.
Democrats are much less optimistic about the state of politics, according to AP-NORC:
About 7 in 10 Democrats are pessimistic about the state of politics in this country, up from 60% last summer. And 55% of Democrats are pessimistic about the way our leaders are chosen under our political system, up from last summer when Joe Biden was still in the White House.
Republicans are just about as favorable toward their party as they were last September, ahead of the election. While Democrats overwhelming still have a favorable opinion of their party, there has been as drop since last September (85% vs 70%). [sic]
It's mysterious why some Democrats don't think their party's rabid opposition to Donald Trump is "strong" enough. I guess calling Trump a dictator, a tyrant, or other names doesn't bring on those wonderful, hateful feelings they came to know and love during Trump's first term.
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