CNN’s Kasie Hunt challenged Colorado Governor Jared Polis on Friday, asking him to identify the current leader of the Democratic Party.

During their conversation on The Arena, Hunt pointed out that Democrats have struggled to regain their footing after losing control of the White House and Senate in the 2024 election, while also failing to secure a House majority. 

She referenced a recent CNN poll in which 10 percent of Democratic voters who named a leader pointed to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Pressing the issue, Hunt asked, ‘Who do you think is the leader of the Democratic Party right now?’

Polis avoided naming a specific individual and instead emphasized the importance of ideas over personalities. 

‘Our true north, certainly my true north, are ideas to make life better for people. I think who delivers on them are secondary. We need to make life more affordable for Americans. We need to make it safer, reduce crime,’ he said.

The governor continued, ‘The minute politics becomes about the who rather than the what, I think is when we start losing.’

Hunt pushed back, arguing that many Democrats believe their party’s failure in 2024 was not due to a lack of good ideas, but rather a lack of strong leadership. 

‘But, sir, with all due respect, the main sort of message out of the 2024 election that I’ve heard from Democrats across the country is that, ‘Our ideas were there, we just didn’t have the right people to sell them.’ And don’t you need a person to stand up to a candidate like Donald Trump, for example?’

Polis stood by his position, asserting that voters would ultimately judge Democrats by their actions rather than their figureheads. 

‘The people of Colorado will judge me and other elected officials here based on how well we deliver,’ he concluded.  

Less than four months after her resounding defeat to Donald Trump, Kamala Harris has unexpectedly emerged as the Democratic Party’s leading contender for the 2028 presidential nomination.

A new poll shows Harris leading the field by a commanding 26-point margin, with 36 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning independent voters backing her. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg trails far behind at 10 percent.

Harris has largely stayed out of the public eye since her loss, yet polling suggests Democrats remain divided on their path forward, with no clear alternative to Harris gaining traction.

Once considered the party’s rising star, Harris saw her 2024 campaign collapse as Trump surged back into power. 

Despite raising a record-breaking $1.8 billion—more than any Democratic candidate in history—her campaign struggled to convert financial support into voter momentum, particularly in key battleground states.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is enjoying a post-election surge in approval ratings. A J.L. Partners/DailyMail.com poll conducted three weeks into his second term found that 53 percent of voters approve of his performance — a historic high.

Even among Democrats, 20 percent expressed approval, while Trump saw notable gains with women and Black voters. Nearly half of women polled supported his leadership, and 41 percent of Black voters gave him positive marks—far exceeding the 16-20 percent who backed him in November’s election.

Despite concerns over his aggressive early policies—including deep cuts to government agencies, mass deportations, and trade threats against countries like Colombia and Canada—Trump’s approval numbers suggest his approach is resonating more broadly than expected.

As both parties look ahead, Democrats face an uncertain road in defining their leadership, while Trump capitalizes on a strong start to his second term.