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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, July 23, 2025
CONTACT: media@ourrevolution.com
New Survey: 95% of Progressives Reject Consultant-Driven Politics, Demand Bold Shift from Democratic Party Leadership and Rank Defunding the Oligarchs and Getting Big Money Out of Primaries as Top Priorities
Our Revolution survey of more than 5,000 progressive and Democratic voters finds overwhelming frustration with party leadership, broad pessimism of Project 2029, and strong demand for a grassroots-driven alternative.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the Democratic Party launches an internal review of its 2024 election loss and quietly advances “Project 2029” behind closed doors, a new survey conducted by Our Revolution, the nation’s largest progressive political organizing group, reveals a crisis of legitimacy for Democratic leadership—and a clear mandate for transformative change driven by the grassroots.
Fielded from July 19–21, the survey gathered responses from 5,089 politically engaged members across Our Revolution’s national base. The results show growing rejection of consultant-class strategies and overwhelming support for a bold, working-class agenda.
“The people responsible for driving the Democratic Party into a ditch are now asking for the keys again. We’d be fools to let them behind the wheel,” said Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director of Our Revolution in reference to Project 2029 “The effort is not a strategy, it’s a stalling tactic meant to protect insider power. Time and again, our base is demanding something much deeper: a party that actually fights for us.”
While party insiders blame outside groups and refuse to examine key decisions around Biden and Harris’s campaigns, Our Revolution’s grassroots members say the problem isn’t just electoral—it’s systemic.
The crisis of confidence in Democratic leadership stems from years of corporate influence, failed messaging, and a refusal to take on corporations and billionaire donors.
Rather than embracing bold ideas that meet the urgency of the moment, party leaders are doubling down on a playbook that has already failed—elevating consultants over organizers, donors over voters, and caution over courage.
“What’s moving people is not poll-tested platitudes,” Geevarghese continued. “It’s unapologetic leadership that centers working people, takes on corporate greed, and isn’t afraid to name names. From Zohran Mamdani in New York to grassroots organizers in Michigan, the path forward is being charted by people who know that democracy doesn’t trickle down—it rises up.”
The survey’s top findings reflect that sentiment clearly. Members ranked “Defund the Oligarchs” as their top priority for the next four years—calling on Democrats to end subsidies and sweetheart deals for billionaires and corporate interests. The second-highest priority? Getting Big Money out of Democratic primaries, a call to dismantle the pay-to-play politics that has sidelined grassroots candidates for too long.
These numbers underscore the scale of disillusionment within the Party’s base—and the urgency of changing course. Rather than more closed-door strategies that consolidate insider power, grassroots voters are calling for a fundamental reset.
Our Revolution will use these findings to guide the next phase of its organizing strategy, mobilizing to elect candidates who reject corporate PAC money, fighting to democratize the Party from the bottom up, and leading a people-powered movement to defeat Trump and the oligarchs who fueled his return.
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Our Revolution is America’s largest grassroots independent political organizing group, born out of Senator Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign. It focuses on mobilizing communities, electing progressive champions, advocating for progressive policies, and transforming the Democratic Party to serve people, not corporate interests.
At a pivotal moment for our democracy, more than 5,000 Our Revolution members have spoken—and their message is crystal clear:
It’s time to Defund the Oligarchs and return the Democratic Party to the people.
In our latest grassroots survey, members told us exactly what priorities they want to see in the fight to take back our democracy and build real power for working people over the next four years:
But while the grassroots is ready to fight for bold change, the Democratic Party’s leadership is falling behind.
And perhaps most damning:
Behind closed doors, Democratic leaders and high-paid consultants are crafting a long-term strategy for the Party’s future. They’re calling it Project 2029—but to our members, it looks like more of the same:
A plan to protect insider power, ignore the base, and sideline the bold ideas that inspire people to get involved.
The truth is, consultants and corporate donors don’t knock doors. They don’t organize rallies, talk to neighbors, or build movements. The grassroots does.
If Democrats want to beat Trump and the Oligarchs, they need to start trusting the people—not the donor class.
Our members are calling for a true opposition party—one that doesn’t back down from oligarchic power, that puts working people first, and that leads with courage and vision. The good news is: that’s exactly what Our Revolution is fighting for.
We’re organizing to challenge the status quo from the ground up—with the candidates, policies, and power-building strategies that can actually win.
Join us in building that future.
Our Revolution is proud to endorse Donavan McKinney for Congress in Michigan’s 13th District!
Born and raised in Detroit, Donavan knows firsthand the challenges working-class families face. He’s lived them—and he’s spent his life fighting back. In the State House, he’s been a leading voice on the frontlines of environmental justice, voting rights, and economic equity. Now he’s ready to take that fight to Washington.
Donavan joined Our Revolution’s national organizing call and told us his story: “I grew up poor, moving over 13 times in Detroit’s 13th district. I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from,” he said. “In 10th grade, my mom was crying because another young black kid was murdered in our neighborhood. She looked me in the eyes and said, ‘You have to survive.’ That moment made me realize we need to fight for a better community.”
As a state representative, Donovan has stood up to oligarchic influence: “I’ve taken on the utilities companies and told them I won’t vote for something to give them more money while we sit in the dark. I’ve taken on contractors that were gouging our state… we passed one of the strongest ethics packages in the state’s history.”
This is what real progressive leadership looks like: someone who doesn’t just talk about justice, but delivers it. Someone rooted in the community, who will bring the voices of everyday people to the halls of Congress.
With your support, Donavan McKinney can help build the people-powered movement we need to take back our democracy and deliver for working families.
Let’s win MI-13—for the people.
Add Your Name to Support Donavan McKinney>>
When we organize, we win!
We’re excited to announce Our Revolution’s endorsement of Robert Peters for Congress in Illinois’ 2nd District!
Robert is a proven progressive fighter — a former grassroots organizer who’s spent his career standing up for working people, not corporate power.
In the Illinois State Senate, Robert helped lead the fight to end cash bail, expand voting rights, and invest in mental health care and youth jobs — policies rooted in justice, dignity, and equity.
Now he’s taking that fight to Washington.
Robert joined Our Revolution’s national organizing call and shared his story: “I was born hard of hearing and adopted by a civil rights lawyer and a social worker,” he shared. “When my family struggled, neighbors had their doors open. That’s what government should do—be there for people in times of need.”
Robert is a movement candidate through and through — organizing alongside working-class communities long before he ever held office. In the Illinois State Senate, he fought to end cash bail and redirect public resources from billionaire profiteers back to the people.
Robert has fought for economic and criminal justice reforms and won: “We moved from a system where people are jailed based on money to one based on safety.” He has passed laws to strengthen labor protections, including banning captive audience meetings and protecting temp workers from being used as strikebreakers.
His vision is clear: “Nobody should worry about healthcare, food, or housing. We need to restore dignity to working people and stand up to billionaires who put profits before people.”
We need more movement leaders in Congress — people who come from the struggle and are accountable to our communities, not billionaire donors.
Join Our Revolution and help elect Robert Peters — a working-class champion for IL-02 and for all of us.
Add Your Name to Support Robert Peters >>
When we organize, we win!
This is it — the make-or-break week for Trump’s latest assault on the public good.
By Friday, the Senate must vote on Trump’s so-called rescissions package — a dangerous maneuver to claw back billions in funding already approved by Congress. At the top of the target list? Public media and global health programs that millions rely on for accurate information, education, and life-saving services.
Trump’s aim is clear: defund PBS, NPR, and other public media, while gutting critical international health efforts — all to appease the far-right and dismantle programs that provide truth, science, and global stability.
But there’s good news: this anti-democratic stunt only succeeds if Republicans can hold the line. They can’t afford to lose more than four votes — and some key GOP Senators are already wavering thanks to public pressure.
That’s where we come in.
Our Revolution is in a full sprint this week — mobilizing members across the country to flood Senate offices with calls, letters, and messages from constituents who care deeply about saving public media and defending global health investments.
We’re organizing in key states, setting up virtual lobby visits with critical swing-vote Senators, and delivering the voices of over 70,000 grassroots supporters demanding that Congress say NO to Trump’s reckless rescissions package.
These programs are not partisan luxuries — they are pillars of a functioning society. Whether it’s PBS in a rural classroom or disease prevention efforts across borders, the funding Trump wants to wipe out serves the public interest, not corporate profit.
If the Senate doesn’t act by July 18, this rescissions package will die — but until then, the threat is real, and the clock is ticking.
📣 Join our effort to stop Trump’s rescissions and protect what matters:
We’re delivering 70,000 grassroots signatures to members of Congress on Tuesday, July 15 — and your voice should be part of it.
Together, we can stop this cynical attack on public media, defend global health, and remind Congress that the people — not Trump’s billionaire donors — are watching.
— The Our Revolution Team
Our Revolution Blasts Republicans for Robbing Working Families to Pay for Trump’s Billionaire Tax Handouts
WASHINGTON, DC — Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director of Our Revolution—the nation’s largest independent political organizing group founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016—issued the following statement in response to the final passage of Donald Trump’s billionaire tax scam:
“Republicans have passed the most dangerous legislation of our lifetimes. This bill hands billionaires and corporations a trillion-dollar tax break, paid for by ripping health care from 17 million people, gutting funding for rural hospitals, slashing clean energy investments, and cutting food assistance for millions of children.
“This reckless sellout to the billionaire class will trigger the largest transfer of wealth from working- and middle-class Americans to the ultra-wealthy in our nation’s history. This isn’t just bad policy — it’s a moral failure that will cost an untold number of lives. Every lawmaker who voted for this shameful legislation must be held accountable at the ballot box.
“This bill should end any talk of a Republican realignment around the working class. It is not economic policy — it’s class warfare that cements the power of an emerging American oligarchy, rewards the donor class, and hands the reins of government to a corporate kleptocracy.”
Over the past several weeks, Our Revolution has mobilized constituents across the country to take action—facilitating direct engagement with their elected representatives, delivering messages both in person and virtually, and sustaining a coordinated call campaign that kept the pressure on until the final vote. We focused on holding Republicans in vulnerable districts accountable, and now we are shifting to channeling constituents’ frustration and determination into action—by working to vote these sellouts out of office.
Joseph Geevarghese is available for further comment. To request an interview, please contact: media@ourrevolution.com.
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Our Revolution is America’s largest grassroots independent political organizing group, born out of Senator Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign. It focuses on mobilizing communities, electing progressive champions, advocating for progressive policies, and transforming the Democratic Party to serve people, not corporate interests.
From Maine to Mississippi, Alaska to Florida, Our Revolution is mobilizing across the country to stop Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill” — a devastating attack on working families that would gut Medicaid, slash SNAP, and pour billions into deportation and corporate handouts.
We’re putting targeted pressure on key Senate Republicans like Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, and others — making sure they hear directly from their constituents through our virtual lobby visits. In state after state, real people are joining our DC team on Zoom to speak face-to-face with top Senate staff and demand:
No cuts to Medicaid. No cuts to SNAP. No cuts to rural hospitals.
“My husband has diabetes. If they close our clinic, we’d have to drive two hours to see a doctor. We’re growing a bigger garden this year—just in case they cut more.”
— Randy, Alaska
“I deliver mail to a 99-year-old vet who depends on me for his meds. I’m fighting so Social Security is still there when I need it, too.”
— Patricia, Mississippi
This is people-powered resistance — and it’s working. With pressure mounting in the Senate, we’re now just three GOP votes away from stopping this cruel legislation dead in its tracks.
In just the past few weeks alone, we’ve brought grassroots voices into meetings with Senate offices in Oklahoma, North Carolina, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, and more. These stories are impossible to ignore — and they’re shaking loose cracks in Republican support for Trump’s toxic budget.
Now is the time to turn up the heat.
🗣️ Add your voice and join the fight:
This is what people-powered resistance looks like — and we can only do it because of our movement and our activists taking a stand.
— The Our Revolution Team
Our Revolution Hails Zohran Mamdani’s Historic Grassroots Triumph in NYC Mayoral Primary
NEW YORK CITY — Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director of Our Revolution—the nation’s largest grassroots independent political organization—issued the following statement in response to tonight’s results in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary:
“Zohran Mamdani has shaken the political establishment and proven that a united grassroots movement can take down even the most entrenched, powerful forces. This race was a showdown between the billionaire-backed status quo—which poured tens of millions into pro-Cuomo super PACs—and a new generation ready to crush corporate greed and deliver real results for working people. The demand for people-powered change is loud, clear, and unstoppable.
“Tonight, we celebrate this historic victory. Tomorrow, we hit the ground running to finish the fight—and elect Zohran Mamdani as the next mayor of New York City.”
Earlier this month, Our Revolution formally endorsed Mamdani, urging its 431,000 grassroots supporters across New York City to rank the Queens Assemblymember as their top choice on the primary ballot. In the lead-up to the general election in November, the group plans to mobilize these supporters once again to ensure Zohran Mamdani is elected as the city’s next mayor.
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Our Revolution is America’s largest grassroots independent political organizing group, born out of Senator Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign. It focuses on mobilizing communities, electing progressive champions, advocating for progressive policies, and transforming the Democratic Party to serve people, not corporate interests.
We’re thrilled to celebrate a major people-powered victory: Zohran Kwame Mamdani has won the first round of New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, defeating disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo and taking the lead in the race to become the city’s next mayor.
With nearly 44% of first-choice votes, Zohran’s commanding lead is a direct result of tireless grassroots organizing, a bold progressive vision, and deep support from working-class communities across all five boroughs. Backed by Our Revolution, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Zohran ran on a transformative agenda: free public transit, universal childcare, rent relief, city-owned grocery stores, and taxing the ultra-wealthy to pay for it.
This is more than a political victory — it’s a clear rejection of oligarch politics and a powerful step toward a New York City that puts people before profit.
“This campaign is proving that a united grassroots can take on billionaires and win,” said Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese. “We’re proud to have stood with Zohran from the beginning — and we’re ready to finish this fight.”
Stay tuned as ranked-choice tabulations continue — but for now, we celebrate a major milestone for the progressive movement in the heart of America’s largest city.
Let’s keep organizing. Let’s keep winning.
— The Our Revolution Team