Democrat Senator Blames California Elites for Party’s Toxic Reputation

The Democratic Party is falling apart and now, even some of its own are starting to admit it. But instead of offering solutions, they’re too busy pointing fingers at each other.

Colorado Senator Michael Bennet (D) joined the growing chorus of Democrats who agree with California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent assessment that the party’s brand is “toxic.” In a stunning moment of rare honesty, Newsom admitted on Real Time with Bill Maher that Democratic favorability is sinking below 30%. But Bennet went one step further: he blamed California.

“I do agree that the Democratic Party brand is really problematic,” Bennet told Meet the Press on Sunday. “It is a brand that… is associated with New York and with California, is associated with the educated elites in this country, and not anymore with working people in this country.”

Translation The Democratic Party has become the playground of the wealthy, woke elite, detached from the working class it claims to represent.

And who’s more symbolic of that detachment than Gavin Newsom himself? California has become the blueprint for failed progressive policy soaring crime, drug-infested cities, sky-high taxes, and mass exodus of residents and businesses. Nearly 818,000 people left California between 2021 and 2023, according to U.S. Census data. The state now leads the nation in homelessness, with over 180,000 unhoused individuals.

Bennet’s swipe didn’t go unnoticed. Fellow Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) fired back, denying the party is toxic and blaming Donald Trump instead. Khanna urged Democrats to “share what our party has done” which, ironically, includes record inflation, open borders, and weaponizing the DOJ.

While Bennet did attempt to prop up the Democratic platform by suggesting they offer “a better set of economic policies” than Trump, his argument fell flat. Americans aren’t buying the recycled promises. Under Trump, the economy boomed, wages grew, and unemployment hit record lows across all demographics. Biden’s economic legacy? Shrinking paychecks, surging prices, and economic uncertainty.

At one point, Bennet said Democrats need to show up with “some imagination.” What the American people really need is leadership not fantasy. If the party’s leaders are still debating why the brand is crumbling, maybe they should spend less time on Sunday talk shows and more time listening to the voters they abandoned.

The Democrats are right about one thing: their brand is broken. But until they confront the radical coastal elites driving their agenda and the damage they’ve done don’t expect anything to change.

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