Democrats were asked to name who the real leader of their party is – and most don’t know

while the democrats Essentially won in off-cycle elections held on Tuesday By a huge margin, boosted by Donald Trump historical unpopularity and one extremely dynamic liberal baseThe party is still looking for a key leader who can help them take back power from the GOP.

According to a new survey politicoThe most popular answer when Democratic voters were asked who they believed to be the real leader of the party was “I don’t know.” Finishing in third place was “Nobody”.

The survey, which surveyed Americans who voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, revealed that there are currently dozens of competitors for the crown, with Harris getting the second-highest number of responses.

Even though the ex-veep was the only person on the list to reach double digits, only 16 percent of people who voted for her last year believe she is the Democratic leader. In comparison, “I don’t know” or a variation of that answer was chosen by 21 percent of respondents.

With last year’s presidential nominee – who is seen as a potential 2028 contender and has recently been in the media promoting a book – receiving relatively little support as the face of the party, several other senior lawmakers and former presidents were also named by Democrats as potential leaders.

On the other hand, the only other notable name that has been floated as a 2028 candidate is California Governor Gavin Newsom, who barely topped six percent in the survey despite his highly publicized opposition to Trump and Republicans — which culminated in his redistricting effort easily winning Tuesday’s elections.

Barack Obama, who left the White House in 2017 after Trump’s first election victory and cannot run for re-election, was chosen as the party leader by 7.4 percent of Democratic voters — just behind Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House.

Former President Joe Biden, 82, who announced last July that he would not seek a second term amid calls to drop out after his disastrous debate performance against Trump, finished in 8th place with 4.4 percent.

“Oops, none,” said a 26-year-old white woman who voted for Harris in Arizona. politico When asked who the leader of the party is, a 49-year-old white man in Maryland said: “I don’t believe there is a leader right now.”

Also speaking with Democratic strategists politico That it’s just “where we are” and that even though he works for the Democrats, they “can’t tell you who the leader of the Democratic Party is,” he still sees a lot of hope after Tuesday’s results.

Despite this, two moderates won by double digits in the gubernatorial races of Virginia and New Jersey. some pollutants ,and fox news) suggesting GOP candidates – especially in Jersey – could bring it closer or even win seats. At the same time, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani handily defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral election, sending the MAGA media and Republicans into complete panic. pound the alarm Regarding the medium term and 2028.

“It felt like we were getting our feet back in terms of politics,” said a strategist at the centrist Third Way think tank. politicoAdding further: “So far people have not clearly understood to whom they are pointing the direction of the party.”

On the other hand, Trump — who despite claims by some MAGA influencers may not run in 2028 — is overwhelmingly viewed as the current leader of the GOP, with no other Republican gaining even three percent. In last year’s election, among the voters who chose the President, the President got 81 percent votes.

Jared Leopold, a strategist who has worked for the Democratic Governors Association, said the Democrats’ lack of a clear leader is “pretty standard for a party that is out of power.” He compared the state of the party right now to that of the Democrats in 2008, when Obama emerged, and in 2016, when Trump became the face of the GOP.

“Democrats were successful [Tuesday] Based on affordability and as a big tent party running against Donald Trump,” he said. “It’s a two-piece equation that will be successful for us as we move toward 2028.”