Washington, D.C. has always played dirty. But this move is jaw-dropping.
Because a U.S. Senator just dug a knife in the back of a top Governor in this stunning betrayal.
Democrats’ 2028 Dilemma: Infighting and a Leadership Void Fuel a Deepening Identity Crisis
The Democratic Party is spiraling into chaos, with no clear frontrunner for the 2028 presidential race and a bitter internal feud that’s tearing at its already frayed identity. Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and California Governor Gavin Newsom traded barbs over the weekend, exposing a rift that’s less about solutions and more about pointing fingers—while the party’s grip on voters slips further away.
Newsom, appearing on “Real Time With Bill Maher” Friday night, didn’t mince words about the mess his party’s in. “Toxic,” he called the Democratic brand, slamming how its leaders “talk down” to voters. It’s a rare moment of candor from a man often floated as a future contender, but it didn’t sit well with everyone.
By Sunday, Bennet was on “Meet the Press,” agreeing the party’s image is a disaster but pinning the blame squarely on states like Newsom’s California and New York. “I do agree that the Democratic Party brand is really problematic,” Bennet said. “I think that it is a brand that is, with all respect to my colleague from California, associated with New York and with California is associated with the educated elites in this country and not anymore with working people in this country.”
That disconnect with working-class voters isn’t new—it plagued Joe Biden and Kamala Harris throughout their doomed 2024 campaigns. On bread-and-butter issues like the economy, inflation, and the border, Democrats couldn’t sell their story. The Biden-Harris years saw voter anxiety hit record highs, and the party’s messaging fell flat. Now, with no obvious successor in sight, the finger-pointing is only making the mess uglier.
Bennet, ever the optimist, tried to spin a silver lining. He argued that Donald Trump’s return to “trickle-down economics” could be a gift to Democrats—a chance to rally against tax cuts for the rich and healthcare rollbacks. “But the Democratic Party ought to be able to come back under those circumstances with a pretty good argument about why we could lead better than Donald Trump and why we are able to provide a better set of economic policies, a much better set of healthcare policies that ensures universal health care finally for everybody in this country,” he said.
It’s a big “if,” though. “If the Democratic Party would show up with some imagination, I think not only would we do better, the American people would do,” he added. Imagination, it seems, is in short supply.
The party’s soul-searching since November’s loss has turned into a circular firing squad. Some, like Newsom, blame the brand and the condescending tone. Others point to a left-wing policy lurch that left voters cold. Take the Senate Democrats’ March 3 move to block a bill banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports—a decision that flew in the face of public opinion. Polls show eight in 10 Americans, including many Democrats, oppose biological males competing in female sports, yet the party doubled down. It’s the kind of tone-deafness that’s become a hallmark.
And who’s waiting in the wings to fix this? No one, apparently. A CNN/SSRS poll from March 16 laid bare the leadership vacuum: over 30% of respondents couldn’t name a single Democrat who embodies the party’s core values. One voter summed it up to CNN: “That’s the problem.” With no standout figure to unite them, the Democrats are stuck—bickering over yesterday’s failures while 2028 looms with no savior in sight.
This isn’t just a branding crisis; it’s an existential one. Bennet and Newsom’s spat is a symptom of a party adrift, clawing at itself instead of building a path forward. Without a leader or a vision, the Democrats risk turning their current disarray into a permanent tailspin.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, Republicans seem all but certain that the new star and Vice President J.D. Vance will be their guy heading into the 2028 elections. They believe he has captured the spirit of the “MAGA” movement that has turned Donald Trump into one of the most important individuals of the last fourty years.
The Federalist Wire will update you on any further updates from the Democrat Party.
