Where Are the Democrats?

“Where are the Democrats? Why aren’t they mounting a blistering opposition to Trump?”

These questions make a lot of sense coming from my Spanish friends. Here in Spain, we are used to a robust opposition no matter who is in office, thanks to the parliamentary system. Opposition parties and their high-profile leaders have an institutional role in parliament. If you are unhappy with Pedro Sanchez, you can count on Alberto Feijóo and Santiago Abascal to be there, holding his feet to the fire.

On the other hand, the U.S. presidential system can leave you scratching your head and asking: who the hell runs the opposition?

During this 2^nd Trump term, even Americans are asking the same question.

The answer requires a little more than comparative politics. After losing the 2024 presidential election and concluding her term as Vice President of the U.S. on January 20, 2025, Kamala Harris no longer holds any official government or party position. She is a private citizen.

Yes, she’s out there on the social media and in interviews criticizing Trump, but she doesn’t get the same kind of traction in the media as she did as a presidential candidate. In other words, unlike in a parliamentary system where she would then lead the opposition from parliament, Harris has no role. Losing presidential candidates typically recede into the background.

This is likely confusing to many people given the recent exception to this rule: Trump served as the uncontested yet unofficial opposition leader to the Biden administration. Nothing about Trump is ever typical. He rebuilt and consolidated his hold on the Republican Party during Biden’s four years in office.

So, here is where it gets sticky: no one person is in charge of the Democrats.

This is deeply frustrating because human beings prefer the kind of single, unifying leader that parliamentary systems provide. Even more so in times of uncertainty. Many Americans and people around desperately want to see checks on Trump’s power but are not sure exactly who or what the alternative to Trump is. This ambiguity makes the Democratic Party seem weak and feckless.

At the national level, we can look to three people.

Officially, the Democratic Party is currently led by Ken Martin. Don’t worry, most Americans don’t know who he is either. I know him because he came to Spain a few years ago when he was Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and president of the Association of State Democratic Chairs and I took him out to dinner. I completely forgot about him until he popped up as the frontrunner for Democratic Party Chairman last year.

Party leaders typically fly under the radar. However, you might remember Howard Dean, the fiery former governor of Vermont and 2004 presidential candidate, won the party chairmanship after John Kerry lost to George W. Bush. Dean was already a charismatic national, even international, figure who had a real vision for the party and could command attention from the press. Martin is none of those things.

Then there is the formal institutional check on presidential power, which lies in the U.S. Congress. Unlike a parliamentary system, however, the president may or may not also enjoy a majority in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Trump currently benefits from a Republican controlled Congress, much like he did from 2017-2019. In November of 2018, Democrats won back the House (typically, American voters go for the opposition party in the midterms) and Nancy Pelosi returned to the Speakership.

It’s understandable that many people saw her power, legislative prowess and ability to be a thorn in Trump’s side as evidence that she was an opposition leader. In reality, she shared that role with Chuck Schumer who was the minority leader in the Senate and remains in that position today.

Pelosi stepped down from party leadership after the 2022 midterms and Hakeem Jeffries was elected as the House minority leader. Even if you’ve heard little about them, Schumer and Jeffries and to a lesser extent, Ken Martin, are it when it comes to nationally led Democratic leadership.

But, what about California Governor Gavin Newsom? He represents another powerful opposition to a U.S. president that is often overlooked abroad: the state governors. The U.S. federal system of government means that most laws and the power to execute them lies at the state level. Governors of big states, like Newsom or Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro can also play a role in the opposition to Trump. This is often especially true for those who would like to run for president.

Certainly, prominent Democrats like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani add to the competition for visions and policy ideas amongst Democrats. You could see this as a richness and strength of a “big tent” political party or just ineffective communication that lacks a disciplined central message.

This lack of a central message is seemingly the most problematic piece of this puzzle since Trump is a relentless dominator of our attention and even the most talented communicators struggle to compete.

But as we head towards the 2026 midterms this November, it’s important to visualize this election as hundreds of state and local elections. Despite Trump’s all-time low approval ratings (hovering at 38%) and an overall anti-Trump mood in the country, these elections will hinge on local candidates and local messages.

It’s likely the Democrats will take back the House in November and perhaps Jeffries will be elected the next Speaker. The Senate is in play as well, but shakier. Schumer would be thrilled to have another shot at majority leader. Perhaps with some institutional heft these two will prove to be stronger leaders, but I’m not holding my breath.

Once the midterms are over, we will start to see both Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls start jostling for attention ahead of the 2028 primaries.

Until then, we’re stuck with a multi-headed Democratic Party with leadership scattered across Congress, state governments, advocacy organizations, and future presidential campaigns rather than united behind a single opposition leader.

This is the English version of my column, La Globalista, in El Español.