It’s over for the Democrats. They have nowhere to turn.
That’s why the Democrat Party is officially folding and waving the white flag of surrender.
In the aftermath of President Trump’s huge victory in November, Democrats are facing a difficult task: rebuilding their party and regaining the trust of their supporters. However, one of the biggest obstacles they encounter is the lack of financial support. While Democratic donors—from large bundlers to small-dollar contributors—are eager for change, many are still upset over the results of the election and feel uninspired by the party’s actions since then.
“I’ll be blunt here: The Democratic Party is f‑‑‑ing terrible. Plain and simple,” said one prominent Democratic donor. “In fact, it doesn’t get much worse.” Another donor expressed similar frustration, questioning the party’s direction and effectiveness: “They want us to spend money, and for what? For no message, no organization, no forward thinking… The thing that’s clear to a lot of us is that the party never really learned its lesson in 2016. They worked off the same playbook and the same ineffective strategies and to what end?”
Much of the frustration among the donor community stems from the 2024 election cycle, which many feel was mishandled by the party and President Biden’s reelection campaign. For months, donors and fundraisers were led to believe that Biden could once again defeat Trump, despite some reservations. When Biden’s performance in the June debate raised concerns about his age, many donors felt their fears were being ignored.
Kamala Harris Only Made Matters Worse, Morale Is As Low As It Gets
Moreover, even when Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in as the Democratic nominee, donors invested heavily in a campaign that ultimately relied on outdated strategies. When Harris lost, morale within the party hit a new low. “This is worse than 2016,” said the first Democratic donor. “Our party is so weak and so diminished.”
Steve Schale, a Democratic strategist and former director of the pro-Biden super PAC Unite the Country, suggested that donor reluctance can partly be attributed to post-election fatigue, which often sets in after a tough campaign. However, Schale also acknowledged that “there is genuine frustration” among donors.
“I’ve talked to a number of donors who just don’t have a lot of confidence after 2024 and want to see how people are thinking about issues differently,” he said. Donors, Schale noted, are asking tougher questions and, in some cases, expressing that they don’t feel their input made a difference in the 2024 cycle. “I’ve been doing more listening than talking,” Schale added.
Douglas Wilson, a North Carolina-based political consultant with experience in Democratic fundraising, observed that donors are “semi on the fence” about their future contributions. He pointed out that with the Democrats out of power, there is little they can do but fight from a disadvantaged position. Many donors, Wilson noted, feel that Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are not putting up enough of a fight for large-scale reforms. This lack of visible action has led to growing disillusionment among grassroots donors, who are seeking more tangible efforts rather than receiving endless text messages asking for contributions.
A veteran campaign strategist who works closely with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) echoed these concerns, noting that high-level donors are hesitant to give when the party’s direction remains unclear. Some have even expressed doubts about whether Democrats can effectively challenge Trump-style candidates, leading them to sit out for now.
“Folks are saying right now, ‘What’s the Democratic Party to me as an investment?’” the strategist said. “I’m hearing from DNC members, they don’t really believe where we’re at right now. They don’t believe that we can counter Trump, so why lose dollars?”
In light of these concerns, some believe the party must shift its focus away from big donors and prioritize small-dollar donations to regain credibility with the working-class voters they are trying to win over. These voters have shown a strong aversion to corporate spending, and some moderates have suggested that the small-dollar fundraising model championed by Senator Bernie Sanders could be the key to future success.
“If corporations and big donors are now rejecting the party, where else can they go for money if they’re not doing it the Bernie Sanders way?” the strategist said. Schale predicted that the future of Democratic fundraising will look different from past cycles, with more groups raising smaller amounts as donors diversify their investments. “I think this is healthy, as we learned in 2020 when a ton of groups were at the table,” he said.
Jamal Simmons, a Democratic strategist, is holding onto hope that voters aren’t permanently burned by the Democrat Party. “For a lot of Democrats, it’s like we had a heartbreak and one way to deal with heartbreak is to curl up on your couch and eat ice cream,” Simmons said. “But one way that will help them get over the heartbreak is how infuriating the new guy is.”
As the 2026 cycle approaches, Simmons expects that donors will rally once again, especially if there are more inspirational candidates to support. “Democrats like to be inspired, so having more inspirational candidates will make that easier,” he said.
Regardless of whether they can put up more inspiring candidates, the Democrats are facing an uphill climb with morale at an all-time low and fundraising completely drying up after the way they burned their supporters during the 2024 elections cycle.
