The Democratic Party is tanking and no one may be feeling it more than Chuck Schumer. The Senate Minority Leader is facing a sharp drop in support from voters in his home state, according to a new Siena College poll. Just 39% of New Yorkers now view him favorably, while 49% see him unfavorably—marking his lowest standing in two decades of polling. Pollster Steven Greenberg called the results unprecedented, noting that “Schumer is 10 points underwater,” with growing disapproval coming from Democrats, especially those on the left.
The shift follows a controversial move last month, when Schumer supported a Republican-led government funding bill backed by former President Donald Trump, writes Fox News. Though Schumer framed it as a necessary compromise to avoid a government shutdown, many Democrats saw it as a betrayal of party principles. Within a month, his support among Democrats dropped from 68% to 52%, and among liberal Democrats it fell even more sharply—from 68% to just 47%.
While Schumer’s favorability declines, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is gaining ground statewide. The Bronx congresswoman now holds a 47% favorability rating, with 33% viewing her unfavorably—a nearly 10-point gain since she was last polled four years ago. Among Democrats, 64% see her in a positive light, placing her ahead of both Schumer and Governor Kathy Hochul. Her rise in the polls has already sparked speculation about a potential Senate primary challenge in 2028, but many following her tour against the “oligarchy” with Bernie Sanders have noted that she may be looking for a bigger prize that year.
Ocasio-Cortez is galvanizing crowds in traditionally conservative states and outpacing rivals in both fundraising and early polling, Axios recently reported. Her recent tour with Senator Bernie Sanders — branded the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour — has drawn tens of thousands from Utah to Montana, signaling a grassroots hunger for economic populism and unapologetic liberalism.
The congresswoman’s rise coincides with what many Democrats see as a leadership vacuum in the party. As President Trump pushes a sweeping agenda and party moderates struggle to mount a coherent opposition, Ocasio-Cortez is offering an alternative rooted in the ideals that once fueled Sanders’s presidential campaigns — but with her own generational and cultural resonance.
AOC’s rise comes as officials inside the Democratic National Party are trying to prevent the party’s vice chairman, David Hogg, from launching a civil war. The young activist, who’s never held a real job, recently shocked party leaders by winning a leadership position with the backing of Tim Walz and has announced he intends to use resources to attack fellow Democrats in their primaries.
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To Join Biden then