Democrats’ sweeping victories in elections across the country this week may not be buying goodwill for party leadership among grassroots Democratic activists.
Progressive organizing group Our Revolution on Thursday released a survey over more than 3,500 voters showing there is overwhelming support for running primary challenges against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who for months have come under fire for failing to more aggressively combat President Donald Trump’s administration.
Overall, the survey found 90% of respondents want Schumer to step aside as leader, while 92% would back a primary challenge against him when he’s next up for reelection in 2028.
The survey showed less support for dumping Jeffries, although 70% said he should step aside, with 77% backing a primary challenger.
Additionally, two-thirds of respondents said that “current Democratic leaders do not understand the struggles of the working class, with confidence in party leadership remaining in the single digits.”
Our Revolution also hailed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s insurgent campaign as a successful model for Democrats across the country, as the organization said a message of “lowering the cost of living and holding corporations accountable” strongly resonated with progressive voters.
Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, warned that establishment Democrats could pay the price if they try to brush off democratic socialist Mamdani’s victory as a fluke.
“Mamdani’s victory was not an outlier. It was a rallying cry,” he said. “The grassroots are demanding change. They want a Democratic Party that fights for working families, taxes the rich, and takes on Trump and the oligarchs driving this affordability crisis. The old guard must step aside or risk losing the movement that delivered these wins.”
Mamdani wasn’t the only candidate to successfully run on lowering the cost of living, as Democrats on Tuesday also scored upset victories by flipping two seats on the Georgia’s Public Service Commission, which is responsible for regulating utility prices in the state. In those elections, the Democrats hammered GOP incumbents for signing off on six rate increases for the state’s largest electricity provider over the past two years.
