Democrats are beginning to notice a problem in leadership under House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi D-Calif., according to a recent survey.
As of late Democratic leadership has attempted to re-shape the party in an effort to galvanize voters against President Donald Trump's agenda, by offering their new agenda, "a better deal." However the problems for the Democrats might go deeper than just rolling out a so-called new identity, the problem could stem from leadership itself.
In a recent survey of 20 Democratic House candidates, "only one – a former Senate staffer from Orange County, Calif. – would state support for the congresswoman staying on as leader of the House Democratic Caucus," while 18 refused to say if Pelosi should remain at her post, according to McClatchy. One person from a "culturally conservative Ohio district" expressed that he'd vote for someone else.
"We are overdue for a new generation of leadership," Kenneth Harbaugh, a candidate in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District said, according to McClatchy. "We have a remarkable opportunity in front of us, and it’s going to take new thinking and new leadership to capitalize on it."
An aide for Pelosi downplayed the results of the survey, and indicated that Pelosi wasn't headed for the exit in the immediate future. "Candidates across the country are focused on issues that matter to their constituents, such as better jobs and better wages, not the latest Beltway gossip," Jorge Aguilar, a spokesman for her campaign said, according to McClatchy. "Leader Pelosi has the overwhelming backing of the House Democratic Caucus because she continues to unify Democrats in our battle to defeat Trumpcare."
Over the last few years Pelosi has held a poor favorability rating, which now sits at roughly 28 percent favorable, and 48 percent unfavorable, according to the Huffington Post's tracker. The Democratic Party has also struggled; their favorability rating sits at roughly 38 percent, while 49 percent view the party unfavorably.
In a recent poll from Public Policy Polling, potential Democratic candidates for the 2020 election didn't match up very well against President Donald Trump. While none would have lost to Trump, according to the poll, their numbers weren't very strong considering the president's abysmal ratings up to this point. Only one potential Democratic candidate out of all candidates proposed faired well against Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden, but whether or not he would run for president is still very unclear.
A faction of the left mainly led by Sen. Bernie Sanders I-Vt., has proven to be more popular than the recent messages from the Democrats, but it's still too early to tell if the party will fully embrace his agenda, though "a better deal" shows signs of a possible shift.
Pelosi's future is still undetermined, and she certainly doesn't intend on leaving soon either. Recently, she referred to herself as a "master legislator," and said, "I know the budget to the n-th degree. I know the motivation of people," according to the Hill. "So I feel very confident about the support that I have in my caucus. I have never not been opposed within my caucus."
Even if the ratings aren't in her favor, the donations have definitely been on her side. In 2017 she has raised nearly $26 million for the Democrats
Shares