Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said something incredible we touched upon yesterday: the Democrats are trying to sell the narrative that they have Republicans on the run. Like Kamala Harris, Jeffries is a talking point machine—that’s it. He can’t go off-script. He reads what the political people give him, but fumbles badly when pressed on the details. You saw that when he was asked to give evidence to the phantom cuts to Medicaid.
Democratic Poll: “just 27 percent believe Democrats are focused on helping them.” https://t.co/GmQV1vk23v
Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “We have them on the run.” https://t.co/sPlGmtZMvL— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) March 12, 2025
Still, let’s revisit the script Jeffries read during a DNC call to action last weekend:
We have the Republicans on the run on three core issues. They are on the run in terms of the economy. In fact, Donald Trump and Republicans are crashing the economy in real time… We have them on the run in terms of health care – particularly as it relates to Medicaid. House Democrats stand on the side of Medicaid and the American people. Republicans are trying to enact the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, and we need to keep the pressure on them legislatively and in communities all across the country.”
And what makes you think the people are with you, sir? Feelings? You posted a video about that with atrocious optics—he made that case with no one around, all alone on Capitol Grounds. That video indicated what the polls say about the Democratic Party and how voters feel about them. Rebecca had more on the details, but the overview is just as brutal—Democrats don’t care about the American people, and they know it (via Politico):
Nearly two months into the second Donald Trump administration, a majority of voters in battleground House districts still believe Democrats in Congress are “more focused on helping other people than people like me,” according to an internal poll conducted by the Democratic group Navigator Research. Among independents, just 27 percent believe Democrats are focused on helping them, compared with 55 percent who said they’re focused on others.
The polling, shared first with POLITICO, is one of the first comprehensive surveys of voters in swing congressional districts since November 2024. House Democratic members and staff are scheduled to hear from one of the researchers, who will present their findings, at their caucus’ Issues Conference on Wednesday in Leesburg, Virginia. The meeting is aimed at guiding members’ messaging as they prepare for the 2026 midterms, and the survey suggests the party has an enormous amount of work to do to repair its image.
“The Democratic brand is still not where it needs to be in terms of core trust and understanding people’s challenges,” said Molly Murphy, one of the pollsters who worked on the research by Navigator, a project within the Hub Project, a Democratic nonprofit group. “Even though voters are critical about Trump and some of the things he’s doing, that criticism of Trump doesn’t translate into trust in Democrats. The trust has to be earned.”
Especially alarming for Democrats were findings around voters’ views of Democrats and work. Just 44 percent of those polled said they think Democrats respect work, while even fewer — 39 percent — said the party values work. Only 42 percent said Democrats share their values. A majority, meanwhile — 56 percent — said Democrats are not looking out for working people.
Only 39 percent believe Democrats have the right priorities.
There is a party on the run, Mr. Jeffries, but it’s not the Republicans.
It’s you and your ilk.
