A new CNN poll reveals that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is now seen as the figure who best represents the Democratic Party’s core values, narrowly edging out Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The result underscores Ocasio-Cortez’s growing influence in a party increasingly defined by its progressive wing—at a time when establishment figures like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are losing favor with the Democratic base.
Ocasio-Cortez, a self-described democratic socialist and prominent Squad member, leads the poll with 10% of respondents selecting her as the face of the party’s values. Harris follows closely behind at 9%, while Sanders takes third with 8%. Others in the mix include House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) at 6% and former President Barack Obama and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who each received 4%.
The timing of this poll is significant. Schumer, once considered a progressive force within the party, has found himself under fire from the Democratic base after backing a Republican-sponsored spending bill to avert a government shutdown. This has only fueled tensions within the party, as activists and left-wing lawmakers push for a more aggressive progressive agenda—one that Ocasio-Cortez and her allies embody.
Ocasio-Cortez has built her political brand on far-left policies, advocating for sweeping government intervention in nearly every sector of the economy. She has championed the Green New Deal, a multi-trillion-dollar climate plan that would overhaul the nation’s energy grid, dramatically expand federal spending, and impose stricter regulations on businesses. She also supports higher taxes on the wealthy and has called for federal protections to expand abortion access nationwide.
Despite this apparent enthusiasm for progressive leadership within the Democratic Party, national polling suggests a different story for Democrats as a whole. Public sentiment is shifting, with the party seeing a sharp decline in favorability ratings. A recent NBC poll found that only 27% of Americans view the Democratic Party positively, while CNN reported a similarly weak favorability rating of 29%.
Adding to the Democrats’ concerns, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has unveiled a list of 26 House districts it is targeting in the 2026 midterms. These districts, labeled as “prime pickup” opportunities, include several that were carried by President Donald Trump in the last election. Among the key targets are:
- California: Josh Harder, Adam Gray, George Whitesides, Derek Tran, Dave Min
- Florida: Darren Soto, Jared Moskowitz
- Indiana: Frank Mrvan
- Maine: Jared Golden
- Michigan: Kristen McDonald Rivet
- North Carolina: Don Davis
- New Hampshire: Chris Pappas
- New Jersey: Nellie Pou
- New Mexico: Gabe Vasquez
- Nevada: Dina Titus, Susie Lee, Steven Horsford
- New York: Tom Suozzi, Laura Gillen, Josh Riley
- Ohio: Marcy Kaptur, Emilia Sykes
- Texas: Henry Cuellar, Vicente Gonzalez
- Virginia: Eugene Vindman
- Washington: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
NRCC Chairman Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) made it clear that Republicans are looking to expand their House majority by flipping seats in battleground districts. “Vulnerable House Democrats have been hard at work demonstrating they are painfully out of touch with hardworking Americans,” Hudson said. “Republicans are taking the fight straight to these House Democrats in their districts, and we will unseat them next fall.”
Some of the NRCC’s biggest targets include Hispanic-majority districts in Texas and California, regions that have trended Republican in recent election cycles. Hudson also noted that 13 of the 26 targeted seats were won by Trump in the last election, giving Republicans an opportunity to capitalize on shifting voter sentiment.
Despite this mounting pressure, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) dismissed the NRCC’s strategy, with spokesperson Viet Shelton insisting that “House Democrats overperformed across the country in 2024” and that “these Frontliners will win again in the midterms.”
Currently, Republicans hold a slim 218-213 majority in the House, with four vacancies left by recent deaths and resignations. While special elections will fill those seats in the short term, both parties are already looking ahead to 2026, where the balance of power in Congress—and the ideological direction of the Democratic Party—could be at stake.
