GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (NewsNation) — Democratic voters who spoke with NewsNation in West Michigan say they’re becoming increasingly frustrated by what they see as their party’s failure to confront the Trump administration.
The few congressional Republicans still willing to hold in-person town hall meetings in their home states are facing heated criticism over Trump’s policies and the prospect of cuts to social safety programs, including Medicaid.
Democrats, however, aren’t winning any popularity contests at the moment either.
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“I don’t know why there’s a breakdown, but if you listen to the last question, there was a gentleman that brought up the issue of not getting information flow. That is precisely what I see. It’s a lack of a coordinated effort. I mean, I can show up every weekend at a rally but that doesn’t give me the road map,” said Bridget Lassig, an independent voter who attended a Thursday town hall hosted by Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich.
While many in the crowd expressed satisfaction with Scholten’s record in Washington, their dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party as a whole is reaching a fever pitch.
“The Democratic Party needs to take off the gloves. They need to get in the ring. And they need to decide that they’re going to fight the bully,” said a man in attendance.
Democratic disappointment isn’t unique to Michigan.
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Democrats in Arizona and Georgia have recently pushed out their party chairs. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York postponed a book tour in the face of protests amid calls from progressives that he face a primary challenge.
According to a February Quinnipiac poll, about half disapprove of how Democrats in Congress are handling their job, compared with about 4 in 10 who approve. That’s a stark contrast from the beginning of Joe Biden’s presidency in 2021, when more than 8 in 10 Democrats approved of how their party was doing its job in Congress, and the start of Trump’s first term in 2017, when about 6 in 10 Democrats approved. In 2017, as they do now, Democrats lacked control of either congressional chamber.
A February CNN/SSRS poll found that about three-quarters of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents thought Democrats in Congress weren’t doing enough to oppose Trump.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
