STATE OF CHANGE

Inside a Democratic Party divided by class, generation and vision, with California's high-stakes primaries testing its future direction

- BY ALEX J. ROUHANDEH

IT’S THE POLITICAL PARADOX OF THE MOMENT. Democrats are winning special election after special election, their voters are turning out in record numbers, yet the party brand is atrocious. Despite Democrats’ six-point advantage in the generic ballot over Republicans, per the RealClear Polling average, their favorability rating is nearly 20 points underwater. Theories for this disconnect abound: It’s because the party’s too left! It’s because the party’s too center! It’s because they let Trump win the last time!

Or perhaps—as the recent primaries in California illustrate—it’s because its boomer political leadership has done a poor job steering the party in the age of Donald Trump and, if for no other reason than the passage of time, is losing its grip on the party’s reins.

Despite facing grim polling numbers heading into the 2026 midterms, Republicans know who they are—they’re the party of MAGA, and, for now, MAGA is Trump. Whereas, ever since Barack Obama exited the White House, Democrats have faced an identity crisis and inconsistent leadership. As an opposition leader, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was able to effectively galvanize Democrats against Trump.

However, since Joe Biden entered the White House as a supposed transitional leader, the party has been plagued with disunity as the faces of its current leadership, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have grown grayer and their ability to galvanize weaker.