Democrats are in meltdown mode, and the party establishment has nobody to blame but itself. According to Rolling Stone, despite Trump being in a deep political hole and Senate races suddenly looking winnable in reliably red states, party leaders are openly terrified about what comes next.
Nobody is actually running the show anymore.
National Democratic Chairman Ken Martin is so invisible as a spokesman that most party members probably couldn't pick him out of a lineup. He is also raising money less effectively than a neighbourhood PTA—which, ouch. Things got even messier when he recently released a sprawling 200-page "autopsy" on how Democrats blew the 2024 election, then immediately trash-talked his own report as incomplete and poorly sourced.
Talk about a bad look.
Party insiders are bracing for the 2028 primary to be "chaotic and combative," with nobody stepping in to actually manage the field. The vibe is pure panic: there is no working group coming to save them, no hidden rescue squad on another floor. It is just the voters—and that is exactly what terrifies Washington.
Rolling Stone points out that party machinery has been rusting for years. The golden era of party bosses with "walking around money" and state machines that could actually control outcomes is ancient history. Even in 2000, Bill Bradley challenged sitting VP Al Gore with zero party approval, and Howard Dean stormed a crowded field in 2004 while taunting Washington leaders the entire time.
The Democratic Party as a controlling force is basically dead. And depending on who you ask, that might actually be good news—because regular people, not backroom dealers, will pick the nominee.
