The CNN survey conducted earlier this month handed Ocasio-Cortez the highest ratings when voters were asked which Democratic leader “best reflects the core values of the Democratic Party.”
Ten percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents polled picked the New York lawmaker, the most of any candidate, with former Vice President Kamala Harris placing second at 9%, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at 8%, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) at 6%.
The survey painted a pessimistic picture for the Democratic Party as its members continue to debate about how to recoup from devastating losses during the 2024 elections.
The Democratic Party’s favorability rating hit a historic low with the public, 29%, marking a decline of 20 percentage points since January 2021 and coming 7 points short of the Republican Party’s 36% approval rating.
A majority of Democrats surveyed said their leaders are taking the party in the wrong direction, as the share of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents with a favorable view of the party is down by 18 points since 2021 — to 63% from 81%.
The poll results show support for leaders formerly seen as standard-bearers of the Democratic Party has fallen since 2017.
Eight years ago, 18% of voters said former President Barack Obama best reflected Democrats’ core values, followed by Sanders at 14%. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton placed third at 10% in the 2017 poll but scored just 1% in CNN’s latest survey.
Support for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), whom Ocasio-Cortez has sparred with in recent months, has also sunk to new lows, per the survey. Ocasio-Cortez slammed Schumer last week for voting to advance a federal spending bill backed by Trump.
“There is a deep sense of outrage and betrayal,” she told reporters Thursday. “And this is not just about progressive Democrats. This is across the board. The entire party.”
In February, the New York lawmaker revealed deeper frustrations with her party as it continues to reel from its November losses.
HOMAN FLOATS INVESTIGATION INTO AOC AFTER WEBINAR FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
“I think structurally, overall, the Democratic Party has this confused message,” she said during a podcast appearance on Latino USA. “We’re supposed to be a party of the working class, and I think working-class people have not been seeing government work for them, despite a lot of the things that the Biden administration did do.”
“I have a weird relationship with the Democratic Party,” Ocasio-Cortez added. “I also understand the Democratic Party is a coalition, and if we want the party to change, the balance of the coalition has to change. But right now, you open the hood on the Democratic Party, what you have is, I think, a bit of a power struggle over the last couple of years.”
