Summary<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WASHINGTON, June 19 (Reuters) – Democrats want new leaders for their party, which many feel isn’t focusing enough on economic issues and is over-emphasizing issues like transgender rights and electric vehicles, a Reuters\/Ipsos poll<\/u><\/a> found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The poll identified a deep disconnect between what Democrats say their priorities are and the issues they believe party leaders care about most ahead of next year’s midterm elections, when they hope to crack Republican control of Congress. They see their elected officials as not focused on helping families make ends meet and reducing corporate influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Democrat Kamala Harris\u2019 November loss to Republican Donald Trump<\/u><\/a> has left the party rudderless and sparked a round of soul-searching about the path forward. The poll shows that party leaders have work to do in recruiting candidates for Congress in 2026 — and for the White House in 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some 62% of self-identified Democrats in the poll agreed with a statement that “the leadership of the Democratic Party should be replaced with new people.” Only 24% disagreed and the rest said they weren’t sure or didn’t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just 30% of Republicans polled said they thought their party leadership should be replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Democrats’ dissatisfaction is also playing out in leadership changes, including this week’s resignation of Randi Weingarten, the influential president of the American Federation of Teachers, from the Democratic National Committee — which followed the ouster of progressive activist David Hogg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Reuters\/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,258 people nationwide and online June 11 through 16, including 1,293 Democrats. It had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points for Democrats. It found that Democrats want the party to focus on their day-to-day needs and want wealthier Americans to pay more in taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, agrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “People don’t trust us, they don’t think we have their backs on issues that are core to them, which are these kitchen table issues,” Newsom said on his podcast in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Democratic strategists who reviewed the poll\u2019s findings said they send a clear message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Voters are very impatient right now,” said Mark Riddle, who heads Future Majority, a Democratic research firm. “They want elected officials at all levels to address the cost of living, kitchen-table issues and affordability.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The poll found a gap between what voters say they care about and what they think the party\u2019s leaders prioritize. It was particularly wide on the issue of reducing corporate spending in political campaigns, where 73% of Democrats said they viewed putting limits on contributions to political groups like Super PACs a priority, but only 58% believed party leaders prioritize that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That issue matters to Sam Boland, 29, a Democrat in Minneapolis, who views Super PAC money as a way to \u201clegally bribe\u201d candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPoliticians want to keep their jobs and are afraid of the impact that publicly funded elections might have,\u201d Boland said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along that line, 86% of Democrats said changing the federal tax code so wealthy Americans and large corporations pay more in taxes should be a priority, more than the 72% of those surveyed think party leaders make it a top concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDEMOCRATS ‘IMPATIENT’<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n