Many Democratic voters in New York City are sharply dissatisfied with their party’s leadership, according to a new survey of the five boroughs.
The poll suggests frustration is mounting among Big Apple Democrats who believe party leaders are not doing enough to stand up for working-class residents — and many say they are ready for a major shake-up.
In the 5 Borough Barometer survey conducted by the Honan Strategy Group, half of Democratic voters said one of their top priorities in this year’s closely watched congressional primaries is electing a younger, more progressive generation of candidates willing to challenge the party establishment.
The findings point to a striking rebuke of current Democratic leadership at a time when broader support for the party appears to be weakening, the poll indicates.
Just 63% of Democratic voters surveyed said they view the party favorably overall, while 35% — more than one-third — reported an unfavorable opinion.
That level of dissatisfaction could create an opening for the Democratic Socialists of America and other left-leaning groups to unseat additional incumbents with insurgent candidates in Tuesday’s primary elections, said Bradley Honan, president and CEO of the Honan Strategy Group.
“It’s startling. Democrats are flunking their party,” Honan said.
“Party members are unhappy with their leadership. The party’s voters are looking for change, and they are looking for it now.”
Democratic incumbents facing primaries should be nervous.
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Respondents were asked whether primary challenges to congressional incumbents Adriano Espaillat, Dan Goldman, Grace Meng, and Ritchie Torres are a healthy thing that will strengthen the party or a divisive distraction that would weaken Democrats.
A plurality (43%) said primaries were healthy, while only 13% said they were a distraction. A little over a third (37%) said they were both.
When it comes to how the Dem establishment is failing voters, respondents made clear they felt the party is not doing enough to stand up for working-class Americans.
Almost 8 in 10 (78%) of voters said the Democratic Party was doing only a fair (54%) or poor (24%) job fighting for working people, compared to 22% who said excellent (4%) or good (18%)
Meanwhile, when asked whether the Democratic Party at the national level is standing up to the Trump administration, 74% combined said it is not very effectively (52%) or not at all effectively (22%) pushing back on the president.
“The verdict is consistent and citywide: New York City Democrats are not satisfied with where the Democratic party stands, and they are ready for it to change,” Honan said.
The DSA has made inroads in the party in New York City with their candidates toppling incumbents or the party establishment, starting with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s defeat of former Congressman Joe Crowley in 2018 and Zohran Mamdani winning the mayoralty last year, defeating ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The socialists have also picked up seats in the state Legislature.
“The DSA has been tapping into this frustration with the Democratic Party very effectively. It’s going to be an interesting set of elections,” Honan said.
The Honan Strategy Group surveyed 446 Democrats via text message from June 12-17. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.63 percentage points.
