Despite a wave of significant electoral victories, the Democratic Party in the United States is facing a profound identity crisis, with a new poll revealing that the majority of its own voters cannot identify a clear leader.
A Party Without a Figurehead
According to a revealing new survey from Politico, the most common response from Democratic voters, when asked to name the real leader of their party, was "I don't know." This sentiment was so widespread that it finished in first place, with the answer "nobody" coming in a close third. The poll specifically interviewed Americans who voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
While Harris was the only individual to garner double-digit support, a mere 16 percent of those who cast their ballot for her last year believe she is the party's leader. This pales in comparison to the collective uncertainty, with 21 percent of respondents opting for some variation of "I don't know."
Who Are the Contenders?
The poll results paint a picture of a party with dozens of potential figureheads but no unifying force. The former presidential nominee, Harris, who is seen as a potential contender for the 2028 election, secured the second-highest number of responses. However, her support appears relatively meagre for someone who so recently headed the ticket.
Other senior figures were also named. California Governor Gavin Newsom, frequently floated as a 2028 hopeful, barely topped six percent in the poll. Former President Barack Obama, who cannot run again, was selected by 7.4 percent of voters, placing him just behind Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries.
Perhaps most strikingly, former President Joe Biden, who left office in 2024, finished in a lowly eighth place with just 4.4 percent of voters seeing him as the party's leader.
The confusion isn't limited to poll numbers. A 26-year-old white woman in Arizona who voted for Harris told Politico, "Ugh no one," when posed the question. A 49-year-old white man in Maryland echoed this, stating, "I do not believe there is a leader right now."
Victory Amidst Uncertainty
This leadership vacuum exists despite the Democrats essentially sweeping Tuesday's off-cycle elections. Energised by Donald Trump's historic unpopularity, the party saw moderate candidates sail to double-digit victories in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races. Simultaneously, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani convincingly beat former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral election.
Democratic strategists admitted to Politico that they too "couldn't tell you who the leader of the Democratic Party" is. However, they see hope in the recent results. One strategist for the centrist Third Way think tank said, "It felt like we're getting our footing back, in terms of politics," but conceded, "That has not yet translated to people seeing clearly who they think is pointing the direction of the party."
The situation stands in stark contrast to the Republican Party, where Donald Trump is overwhelmingly seen as the current leader, garnering a massive 81 percent of support from his voters.
Jared Leopold, a strategist who has worked for the Democratic Governors Association, suggested this lack of a clear leader is "pretty standard for a party that is out of power." He compared the current climate to the periods before Barack Obama emerged in 2008 and before Trump became the face of the GOP in 2016.
"Democrats were successful [Tuesday] as a big tent party running on affordability and against Donald Trump," he added. "That's a two-piece equation that will be successful for us as we move toward 2028."
