Democrats may face their own 'Tea Party revolt' as approval from base dips: report

As approval ratings for the Democrats have hit a low point, the political party may face something of its own "Tea Party revolt" that the Republican Party faced in the 2010s, according to a report from Politico.

The report comes just as many Hollywood donors snubbed a fundraiser that was held for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries this week, where left-wing donors feel that the party's leadership is not performing as it should to take on President Donald Trump.

Typically, Democrats in Congress enjoy good approval numbers from their own base, but after Kamala Harris' loss to Trump as well as other factors, Democrats are underwater with their approval ratings from their own party base for the first time since Quinnipiac University started tracking the approval ratings, the outlet reported. Only 40 percent of Democrats approve of the actions taken by their party in Congress compared to 49 percent who do not approve.

This is compared to the Democrats' support from their base this time last year, which was at 75 percent, and only 21 percent of Democrats disapproved of their performance in Congress. Politico said the "Democratic base’s disillusionment runs so deep that it’s eerily reminiscent of Republican grassroots sentiment in the period leading up to Donald Trump’s takeover of the Republican Party."

"The numbers are clear: No longer satisfied with the status quo in their party, Democrats are on the verge of a Tea Party-style, intra-party revolt," the outlet added.

The first time around that Trump won, approval for Democrats by their base actually went up, as left-wing voters liked the way the Democratic leadership at the time was resisting Trump, and the same thing happened when Trump left office in January 2021, in light of January 6.

Some of the numbers indicate that the anger Democratic voters feel about the party lies with Democratic lawmakers' perceived inability to stop Trump and that Democratic leadership has taken a more conciliatory approach to working with the Trump administration.

For example, last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) voted in favor of advancing a spending bill backed by Trump and the GOP, leading a few other Senate Democrats to do the same in order to keep the government funded. Schumer argued at the time that it would be better to keep the government open rather than allow for it to shut down and allow for Elon Musk to "expedite his destruction of key government programs and services."

The vote on the funding bill caused division among congressional Democrats, with some reportedly wanting to primary Schumer in the next election. Politico said that the potential "Tea Party" for the Democrats could mean primaries for House and Senate Democrats in the "bluest states" and that the dissatisfaction from the Democrat base could raise the "prospect of a stream of younger, insurgent candidates more closely aligned with the party base, similar to what the GOP has contended with over the past 15 years."