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.
Key Survey Findings Include:
- 95% of respondents say the Democratic Party should be listening to working-class voters, community organizers, and grassroots leaders—not corporate consultants or billionaire donors
- 90% believe Democrats win when they embody bold ideas and inspire change, not when they play it safe or avoid controversy
- 87% say they feel let down or frustrated by current Democratic leadership
- 84% want to see a bold, progressive alternative to Project 2029
- 68% are pessimistic or very pessimistic that Project 2029 will lead Democrats to victory
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.
###
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.
