As President Donald Trump has racked up a string of major policy wins in his six months, Democrats are stuck in a rut without a clear party leader, they admitted in interviews with the Daily Mail.
Though House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are technically the left’s top lawmakers, Democrats on Capitol Hill shared that there is still no consensus on who is the party’s head.
In the absence of a clear frontrunner to lead the party in 2028, Democrats are left to tout their current efforts resisting Trump.
‘It’s a group leadership at this point in time, obviously Hakeem, obviously Chuck Schumer, a lot of governors,’ veteran Democrat Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland told the Daily Mail in an interview. ‘I think there are a number of leaders.’
Hoyer twice served as House Majority Leader under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He has served on Capitol Hill for over 43 years since 1981 and is the longest tenured Democrat in the House of Representatives. It’s safe to say he’s been around a while to witness the party in and out of power.
‘When you don’t have the presidency…I can’t remember a time when there was a leader,’ he continued. ‘So I think it’s a collective leadership.’
Other Democrats flat-out admitted there is no clear head of the party.
Hoyer told the Daily Mail that there are a number of Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. But his colleague, Rep. Moskowitz, said the party doesn’t really have a leader at the moment
A recent poll from Reuters/Ipsos found that 62 percent of Democratic voters want completely new leadership
Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez poses with Democratic Socialist New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. The two are widely seen as up and coming leaders on the left
‘We don’t have a counterpart in our party at the moment, because … we’re coming out of the last presidency,’ Florida Democrat Rep. Jared Moskowitz told the Daily Mail. ‘But no, we don’t have a counterbalance at the moment.’
The Floridian, known for his cool Air Jordan sneaker collection, noted that when Trump’s term expires in 2028, both parties will be left searching for new leadership, ostensibly ignoring the platform JD Vance will have after serving as vice president.
‘The Republicans, will be in the same boat, right?’ Moskowitz said. Who will be the leader of the party? Because it won’t be the president anymore.’
In addition to Jeffries and Schumer, there are a number of Democrats who have been floated as the next party boss.
On those lists are usually Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and occasionally, former VP Kamala Harris.
Popular prediction sites Kalshi and Polymarket list Newsom as the most likely Democratic nominee for the 2028 presidential contest, AOC is listed as close second while former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg comes in third.
Democrats have indicated they want new faces steering the party.
Polls have shown AOC as the most popular Democrat in the party
Zohran Mamdani has also received lots of support amid his bid to become New York mayor
According to a June poll from Reuters/Ipsos, 62 percent of self-identified Democrats agreed that ‘the leadership of the Democratic Party should be replaced with new people.’
That could be why Democratic candidate for New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-declared democratic socialist, has been surging in the polls and landing countless TV interviews.
‘Zohran Mamdani, the new leader of the Democratic Party, supports ‘the abolition of private property’ and ‘seizing the means of production,’ Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana wrote this week.
‘But Washington Democrats are still cozying up to him. There’s no doubt about it: the loon wing is running the show.’
Mamdani, 33, embodies a political archetype akin to former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, also a self-declared democratic socialist.
The young mayoral candidate has even caught the attention of the president.
‘It’s finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line. Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor. We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous,’ Trump wrote recently on Truth Social.
Mamdani met personally with AOC, along with about 40 other Democratic lawmakers this week in D.C.
The meeting was an hour-long session on communicating and organizing hosted by AOC, the progressive leader of the ‘Squad.’
The venue had to change because of high demand from lawmakers to sit in on the session, a Mamdani spokesperson said.
One longtime Democrat even likened Mamdani to Trump, saying they share a similar populist appeal.
‘Donald Trump and he both get out and they talk to people and they listen to people and they understand how people feel. And he’s using social media the way that Donald Trump has,’ Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said.
