Comedian Jon Stewart expressed concerns on Thursday about the Democratic Party’s current state, describing it as disorganized and directionless despite several significant election victories earlier in the week. Speaking on “The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart,” Stewart argued that Democrats have yet to effectively harness a growing “potential energy” within the country.
“I think the Democrats are still a mess. I truly believe they’re a mess just because what this shows to me is, again, there is this underlying potential energy within the United States of America that is much larger than I think any of us could have imagined,” Stewart said. “And channeling the energy directionally will be the challenge for whoever wants to harness it. I still don’t believe they’re doing that.”
Stewart’s remarks came on the heels of Democratic victories in several high-profile races on Tuesday. New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, and New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill all won their contests by comfortable margins, according to projections.
While the Democratic Party performed well at the ballot box, polling continues to reveal widespread dissatisfaction among voters. RealClearPolitics’ national average placed the Democratic Party’s favorability at just 33.4% leading into Election Day. Additionally, a New York Times analysis of voter registration records published in August found that the party had lost approximately 2.1 million registered voters since 2020.
Public sentiment toward Democrats in Congress has also declined sharply. A Quinnipiac University poll released in mid-July reported that only 19% of voters approved of congressional Democrats—the lowest approval rating the polling organization has ever recorded for the group.
Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders voiced similar concerns earlier this week. “I think sometimes when people think about the Democratic Party, they think of these cocktail parties in New York City or LA, where wealthy people mingle with consultants, mingle with the leadership. That’s not much of a party,” Sanders said. “That’s really kind of an elitist institution. So, one of the things that I believe if the Democratic Party is to survive, maybe it will, maybe it won’t—the transformation has to be to open the doors, to bring in millions of people, to hear what they have to say, to have them start running for office, etc.”
Matt Bennett, co-founder of the liberal think tank Third Way, echoed these assessments during an October appearance on “Next Up with Mark Halperin.” He emphasized that the party would continue to struggle until it chose a presidential nominee capable of redefining its message.
“We’re in terrible shape. Like, we just have to be very honest with ourselves—the Democratic Party is in really, really bad shape,” Bennett said, referencing the party’s weak standing with voters. “[T]he nominees and the presidents make the party brand, and for the next few years, we won’t have that. So it’s going to be a tough couple of years deep in the wilderness for us,” he added. “And I think there are some things we can do to set the table for the nominee. But right now, I don’t feel like we’re doing it.”
Despite their recent electoral gains, the concerns voiced by Stewart, Sanders, and Bennett highlight a recurring challenge for the Democratic Party: internal divisions and a loss of voter trust may present significant obstacles heading into future elections.
https://www.lifezette.com/2025/11/even-the-lefts-favorite-comedian-says-the-democrats-are-falling-apart-watch/
