Late last month, CNN released a poll showing that 10 percent of Democrats and Democrat leaners chose Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a member of the far-left Squad, as the politician who "best reflects the core values" of the party. She was the highest vote-getter of any named person, while 30 percent gave an answer that didn't name an individual. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) came slightly behind AOC, and Sanders has been doing rallies with AOC, leading many to wonder if they'll run in 2028. Is the radical Squad member really the future of the party?
Earlier this week, the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll was released, and as we covered in yesterday's VIP, there looks to be bad news for the anti-Israel members in Congress, including the Squad, given how much even Democrats support Israel over Hamas.
The foreign policy questions came at the end of the poll, and early on, there were a few questions specifically about AOC.
"A small majority of voters want more moderate Democrats to find compromises with the Trump admin, but Dems want their party to 'fight harder,'" the poll results point out, which others polls have shown to be the case, and also reveals how much the party is in disarray.
"Do you support more Democrats like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are calling on Democrats to adopt a more aggressive stance towards Trump and his administration and 'fight harder,' or moderate Democrats who are willing to compromise on Trump issues important to their base?" the poll asks. By 55-45 percent, overall voters want moderate Democrats willing to go with that compromise. For Democrats, it's just 27-73 percent.
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Although Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) isn't considered "moderate," he's taken plenty of flak for daring to cave and vote in favor of advancing the continuing resolution (CR) last month. The poll brings that up as well.
As that question asked, "Do you think Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a handful of other Democrats were right to support the continuing resolution that funds the government until September 30 and averts a government shutdown, or should they have held the line on Democratic demands even if it led to a government shutdown?"
By 57-43 percent, overall voters agree it was the right thing to do. A majority of Democrats, however, 54 percent, think Schumer should have "held the line."
While Congress avoided a government shutdown, Schumer even took some heat from his fellow New York Democrats. It was an embarrassing move. The vote came on a Friday afternoon, after Schumer had announced on a Thursday night he was caving, following his claim on a Wednesday afternoon that the CR didn't have enough votes to overcome the filibuster and that Democrats were supposedly "unified."
AOC was particularly angry, and there's chatter she may even primary Schumer in 2028, if she doesn't run for president that same year, potentially with Sanders as her running mate. Speaking of Sanders, he doesn't want to talk about AOC serving with him in the Senate, as he abruptly ended an interview with ABC News when Jonathan Karl dared to bring it up.
WHOA
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 23, 2025
Bernie Sanders has anger issues. When asked a simple question about Rep. AOC potentially running for Senate he gets up and says he's done! pic.twitter.com/9T0eTHJ1Gj
"Ok, thanks. No, I ask you - you wanna do nonsense? Do nonsense. I don't wanna talk about inside beltway…
The future of AOC's role as a leader is mentioned in another question. "Do you think Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are the future of the Democratic Party or does the party need new moderate figures to lead them into the 2026 midterms and 2028 election?" a question asked.
Overall, 71-29 percent want to go with "new figures." Although not quite as high, even a majority of Democrats want someone new as opposed to AOC, who represents one of the most liberal districts in the state. By 57-43 percent, Democrats say their party needs "new figures."
The poll was conducted March 26-27 with 2,746 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.
Still, another new poll came out recently from the leftist Data for Progress. "Democratic Voters Are Dissatisfied With Their Own Party, See No Clear Party Leader," the poll's headline read, even more evidence of Democrats in disarray.
The first question highlights that disarray, as it mentions the Democrats' strategy of going up against President Donald Trump. Asked to grade the party's response to Trump, a plurality, 26 percent, give them a C. Twenty-three percent give a D grade, while 21 percent give an F. Just 10 percent give an A grade.
When it comes to the question involving AOC, just 6 percent of likely Democratic voters said they consider her to be "the current leader of the Democratic Party," with original emphasis.
Harris is first with 17 percent support, followed by Schumer and former President Barack Obama, who are tied with 15 percent support. For comparison, just 2 percent said Schumer in the CNN poll when asked that similar question. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is tied with "No one" for 11 percent, and Sanders enjoys 9 percent support.
Following AOC, former President Joe Biden enjoys 4 percent support, while Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has 3 percent. There's particularly bad news for other potential 2028 candidate Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), who is trying to raise his national profile with town hall events he won't even do in his home state. He has just 2 percent, while Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who is trying to raise his national profile with a podcast, enjoys just 1 percent support.
Four percent said "don't know." Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and DNC Chairman Ken Martin rank even worse than Newsom.
Who do you consider to be the current leader of the Democratic party? (Dem voters)
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) April 3, 2025
Harris 17%
Schumer 15%
B. Obama 15%
Jeffries 11%
No one 11%
Sanders 9%
AOC 6%
Biden 4%
Pelosi 3%
Walz 2%
Newsom 1%@DataProgress | Dem n=555 | 3/21-28 pic.twitter.com/5O1wPI0h18
Democratic voters are divided on who is the current leader of the Democratic Party.
— Data for Progress (@DataProgress) April 3, 2025
The top picks include Harris (17%), Schumer (15%), Obama (15%), Jeffries (11%), and "no one" (11%). pic.twitter.com/qjCEd8GQ7i
That emphasis on "current leader" may have something to it, though, especially if AOC ends up taking on a larger role. Sure enough, there may be more hope for her elsewhere in the poll. There are several questions devoted to Schumer, and these don't yield positive results.
As one question asked, "Do you think Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is doing enough right now to fight back against Donald Trump?" A whopping 61 percent said he is not. More voters said they didn't know (22 percent) than said he was (17 percent). A more involving question also asked voters to describe his approach against Trump. A plurality, 34 percent, said, "He is fighting, but not hard enough to make a difference." Just 14 percent said, "He is fighting as hard as possible and using the right approach," the least chosen option. It had even less support than the 17 percent who said they didn't know.
Similarly, voters were also asked, "Do you think Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has a clear long-term strategy to oppose Donald Trump and Republicans?" Just 51 percent say he does. Again, more said they didn't know (27 percent) than said he was (22 percent).
The poll also asked about how Schumer's caving on the CR, with such a poll certainly showing how framing the question may play a factor.
The poll question read:
Last week, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer voted for the spending bill package backed by President Trump and Republicans in Congress, sparking criticism from within the Democratic Party.
Some Democrats believe this vote is a betrayal of the party's principles and want Schumer replaced as SenateDemocratic leader. Other Democrats believe it was the least bad option and prevented a government shutdown.
Now that you know this information, which of the following comes closest to your view?
A slight majority, 51 percent, said that "Senate Democrats should choose a new leader," while 34 percent said he should remain. The following question asked, "If Senate Democrats were to choose a new Senate Minority Leader, which would you prefer?" A whopping 66 percent focused on going up against Trump, choosing the response, "Someone who fights harder against Trump and the Republican agenda."
Schumer's age may also be a mark against the 74-year-old, who has been in the Senate since 1999. By 69-25 percent, overall respondents said the view most closest to theirs was that "The Democratic Party should encourage elderly leaders to retire and pass the torch to the younger generation," as opposed to "The Democratic Party should not encourage elderly leaders to retire, as they have valuable knowledge and experience."
That he's an older white male may also be against him and more in favor of AOC. By 71-24 percent, respondents say that "It should be a priority for the Democratic Party for its party leadership to be diverse in terms of race and gender."
Some questions were asked March 21-22 with 537 likely Democratic voters, while others were asked March 21-24 with 555 likely Democratic voters and independents who lean Democratic.
