A majority of Democrats believe the party needs fresh blood and only a small fraction feel it should prioritize transgender rights issues, according to a new poll.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey, released Thursday, found 62% of self-identifying Democrats agree that party leadership “should be replaced with new people.”
In contrast, only 30% of Republicans surveyed felt the same about their party leadership.
Nearly half of Democrats (49%) said they were “unsatisfied” with the current crop of leaders in the party, while 41% said they were “satisfied” and 10% marked “unsure.”
Democratic voters also indicated a deep disconnect between what they want the party to focus on ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and what they view as leadership’s priorities – with some noting that it appears the Democratic Party is belaboring transgender issues.
Only 17% of Democrats said allowing transgender people to compete in women and girls’ sports should be a priority for the party.
However, 28% responded that they believe party leaders see it as a top issue.
“There are more important things to be moving the needle on,” Benjamin Villagomez, who is transgender, told Reuters.
“There are more pressing issues, things that actually matter to people’s livelihoods,” the 33-year-old from Austin, Texas added.
Gaps between the rank-and-file and party leaders were particularly high on economic issues.
For example, 86% of Democrats said raising taxes on wealthy Americans and large corporations should be a priority, but only 72% felt it was a top concern for party leaders.
Similarly, 73% identified reducing corporate spending in politics as a priority, but just 58% believed it was a leadership priority.
On promoting affordable childcare, lowering prescription drug costs, making health insurance more readily available and backing mass transit – respondents viewed party leaders as less passionate than themselves.
The dissatisfaction in party priorities was stronger among younger Democrats, those between 18-39, the poll found.
The poll was conducted between June 11-16 and it surveyed 4,258 people nationwide, including 1,293 Democrats. It had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
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