>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
“I have a problem with my party, and I’m not going to change my party,” she said. “I just won’t vote for a Democrat.”
That kind of talk would have been unthinkable a few years ago, but it’s becoming more common among blue voters who feel abandoned by their leaders.
According to RealClearPolling, the Democratic Party’s favorability has plummeted to just 34.7% — a devastating low that reveals just how badly average Americans think things have gone under Democrat leadership.
Earlier this year, three self-described Democratic voters called into Washington Journal and unleashed their own criticism of the party’s direction. The recurring theme? Weak leadership, far-left extremism, and nonstop attacks on Donald Trump.
“I’m registered Democrat, but I hate my party,” one caller said. “I haven’t voted for a Democrat really in the elections in quite a while. And yes, I voted Republican many times because I like the policies better. Democrats have had terrible policies.”
The caller went on to slam the “progressive” wing that now dominates Democrat politics: “And now we have the rise of the so-called progressives. They’re really regressives. People like the Squad and [Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez and now [Zohran] Mamdani, who might become the mayor of New York City — he’s a proven socialist and Marxist as well as an antisemite.”
That sentiment is spreading quickly. The New York Times reported in August that between 2020 and 2024, the Democratic Party lost roughly 2.1 million registered voters, while Republicans gained about 2.4 million over the same period.
Meanwhile, even prominent labor voices — once a reliable Democratic base — are starting to question party leadership. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, standing outside the White House last week, demanded that Democrats “end the shutdown” and stop hurting working families.
O’Brien appeared alongside Vice President JD Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, saying, “Pass a clean CR, get to the table, negotiate a deal. Do not put working people in the middle of a problem. They should not be in there.”
The Teamsters represent 1.4 million members across the country, and O’Brien warned that the consequences of the Democrat-led shutdown are already being felt. “Think about when you have to tell your son or daughter they can’t play sports because you’re not getting paid. Think about when you can’t pay your mortgage. Think about when you can’t pay your tuition,” he said.
From ordinary voters to union leaders, frustration with the Democratic establishment is reaching a boiling point. Once the “party of the people,” Democrats now appear to be losing touch with the very voters who built their foundation.
As one disillusioned caller put it best: “This party has changed so damn much.”
And with defections mounting, the message from the heartland is clear — millions of Democrats are walking away.
