“A Defeated Party in the Wilderness”: Former Clinton Pollster Predicts What’s Next for Democrats

(DCNF)—Former Clinton pollster Mark Penn said Monday on “Hannity” that the Democratic Party might take two to four years to “come back” as they have “no real leader” currently.

Shortly after President Donald Trump’s November 2024 win, infighting within the Democratic Party began to ramp up, with the party struggling to rally behind a clear message or leader. While discussing viral figures like Democrat Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg, Fox News guest host Katie Pavlich asked Penn about Hogg’s recent remarks on why his party is out of touch with young male voters — and whether his solution is the right direction for Democrats.

“Let’s not confuse social media leaders with real leaders. These are not the real leaders of the Democratic Party. They’re saying outlandish things. So they get on social media, and then they get picked up over here. There’s no real leader of the Democratic Party right now, in all honesty. There’s no platform. There’s no program,” Penn said.

During an interview with comedian Bill Maher on Friday, Hogg criticized his party for alienating young male voters, saying that because the party is “too elitist,” young people haven’t been able to focus on things like “how to get laid and how to go and have fun.”

“When you’re a defeated party in the wilderness, you take a while to come back. It could be two years. It could be four years. The Republicans were out for a long time. Democrats. These parties eventually come back. There’s no leader right now. There’s going to be a huge presidential primary. There’s going to be this huge midterm here,” Penn said.

Since becoming DNC vice chair, Hogg has gone after aspects of his party he said hold Democrats back, announcing in April his plans to help unseat certain Democrat members of Congress in the 2026 primaries and spend millions backing younger candidates. With the DNC panel reportedly considering a vote to replace Hogg, Democrat strategist James Carville also called out the leader for his “jackassery of the highest level” in trying to take down members.

While some party members have suggested that Democrats should address policies that are more attuned to voters, others have said that their setback is due to a “messaging” problem.

“Maybe the Democrats will get Congress back,” Penn added. “Trump was kind of dipping a bit, but I really think he’s coming back quite strongly now because he took a risk, and that risk seems to be paying off in big ways. So I think he’s gone back to being a very formidable leader.”

In March, a CNN/SSRS poll said Democrat Party favorability was at an all-time low of 29% among respondents, a 20-point drop since January 2021. With over 30% of respondents unable to name a Democrat leader who “best reflects” the party, some pointed to figures like Democrat New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders as options.

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