CNN political commentator Scott Jennings just revealed why Democrats keep losing elections.
His comments hit a nerve with the Left.
And Scott Jennings dropped a truth bomb about Democrats that has leftists fuming.
CNN panel discussion turns heated when Jennings speaks uncomfortable truths
The Democratic Party is in the midst of a full-blown identity crisis following Donald Trump’s landslide victory over Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
CNN hosted a panel discussion about why the Democratic Party base remains angry despite having full control of the White House and Congress for two years under Biden-Harris.
During the conversation, Republican strategist Scott Jennings offered a brutal assessment that left his fellow panelists visibly uncomfortable.
“And why are they angry? Because the party isn’t being ornery enough in Washington and liberal enough? I mean — that’s just it, right?” Jennings began. “The lesson that the base has learned from the last election is we’re just not far left enough.”
Jennings then highlighted three specific areas where Democrats have lost touch with mainstream Americans.
“And until you shed your allegiance to illegal aliens, boys in girls’ sports, and higher taxes, the American people do not want this,” Jennings continued. “And it doesn’t matter who you nominate, because if the base is going to push the nominee of the Democratic Party in those three directions, and I have no reason to believe that they won’t do that in the 2028 primary, you’re going to have a devil of a time convincing people that you can actually act normal.”
Dear Democrats,
Until you shed your allegiance to illegal aliens, boys in girls’ sports and higher taxes, you’re going to continue LOSING to common sense. pic.twitter.com/sPCvnnw1tV
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) May 16, 2025
The comments came as Democrats continue their internal battle over what direction to take heading into the 2026 midterms and beyond.
Democrats face a reckoning after 2024 electoral defeat
Trump’s decisive victory in November sent shockwaves through the Democratic establishment. The former president not only recaptured all the battleground states he had lost in 2020 but even made inroads into traditionally blue states.
This electoral setback has sparked intense debate within Democratic circles about strategy and messaging heading into the future.
Many party moderates have suggested the party needs to reconnect with working-class voters and focus less on progressive social issues that don’t resonate with middle America. However, the activist base is pushing for even more aggressive progressive policies.
This tension was on full display during the CNN segment, as Jennings’ comment about “acting normal” clearly struck a nerve with other panelists.
The three issues sinking Democrats’ electoral chances
Jennings specifically identified three areas where Democrats have drifted far from the American mainstream: immigration policy, transgender athletes in women’s sports, and taxation.
On immigration, polls consistently show Americans want stronger border security and enforcement of existing immigration laws. The Biden-Harris administration’s lax border policies led to record numbers of illegal crossings, which became a political liability in the 2024 election.
President Trump made this issue central to his campaign, promising to secure the border and end what he called the “invasion” at the southern border. Exit polls showed this message resonated with voters across demographic groups.
The transgender athlete issue has similarly become problematic for Democrats, as polls show a majority of Americans oppose biological males competing in women’s sports. Yet Democratic politicians have been reluctant to break with transgender activists on this issue.
Finally, the Biden-Harris administration’s push for higher taxes on businesses and wealthy Americans, along with massive government spending that fueled inflation, damaged Democrats’ economic credibility with voters.
Will Democrats course-correct before 2028?
The question now facing Democrats is whether they can adjust their messaging and policy positions to reconnect with mainstream voters without alienating their progressive base.
Some Democratic strategists are calling for a return to Bill Clinton-style centrism, focused on kitchen table issues rather than progressive social causes. Others argue the party simply needs better messaging on its existing agenda.
What’s clear from Jennings’ assessment is that Republicans believe Democrats are trapped in a cycle where their base will continue pushing nominees further left, making it increasingly difficult to win national elections.
For now, the soul-searching continues as Democrats try to chart a path forward in the Trump era. But if Jennings is right, they may face a long road back to power if they can’t reconcile their base’s demands with the political realities of a center-right nation.
