Biggest Losers in 2025: Not falling as the year closes

The year 2025 has not only exposed the divisions of the Democratic Alliance – it has created a short list of political losers whose mistakes are already setting the stage for the 2026 battleground. From institutional leaders pressured by a restless progressive base to countrymen who have wasted precious time, this past year has left behind a series of cautionary tales for the party coming out of power.

MODERATE DEMOCRATS PUSH BACK AS MARRIERS CONTINUE IN OUST JEFFRIES, CLARK OVER TRUMP STRATEGY

The establishment and the old school Democrats

The loudest, most visible Democratic figures haven’t just voiced their opposition to the Trump administration — they’ve also made it clear they expect a new version of the party to emerge. From Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in New York City promising increased government spending to the point of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that she can beat Vice President JD Vance in the presidential bid, progressives can easily say that they have a very visible momentum in 2025.

And that’s bad news for old-school Democrats.

As recently as last month, both House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and House Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., faced primary challenges from their progressive bases. These challenged and expressed dissatisfaction with their resistance to the administration. It’s unclear whether those calls are misplaced at a time when Democrats are out of power. But many moderate Democrats told Fox News Digital they don’t think it’s helping to win over voters.

If progressives continue to tighten the picture in 2026, many Democrats may find it very difficult to ignore pressure from their far left as the country enters midterms.

GOP HITS DEM’S PEOPLE’S WAR AS 2026 CONVENTIONS CONTINUE: ‘BASE-SHAMBLES’

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a campaign event in support of Proposition 50 in San Francisco, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Gavin Newsom

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is running out of time to prove why he can be more than a party messenger. Last year, he put himself in that role.

In 2025, Newsom cemented himself as one of the key Democratic elements in Trump’s agenda. And in that case, there is no small question that he uses in attention.

Most notably, Newsom continued a redistricting effort aimed at removing five Republicans from office after Texas advanced a similar plan earlier this year. Although the plan is getting mixed reviews — even from Democrats in the state who were wary of firefighting — it has greatly improved Newsom’s national profile.

But like all potential Trump foils, Newsom finds himself somewhat dependent on Trump for his next move. Should Newsom start putting himself in position to make a bid for the White House in 2028, he won’t have that luxury forever, and he only has one year left as governor of California.

Newsom burned precious time in 2025 to show voters in California and across the country what kind of president he would be.

DEMOCRATIC HEAVYWEIGHTS HARRIS, NEWSOM TURN HEADS, FUEL 2028 SPECULATION

Former President Joe Biden talks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Mark Schifelbein)

Joe Biden

In a few important news, former President Joe Biden’s legacy will be obsolete in 2025.

It took several weeks for the Trump administration to refute the claim that Biden was doing everything possible to stop illegal border crossings from coming into the United States. With a few key executive orders, Trump has brought the country to one of its lowest levels of border collusion.

And while that’s the most notable entry, the list of double takes doesn’t end there.

An independent investigation by the House of Representatives revealed that Biden has given unprecedented authority to his aides. In addition, a book written by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson took an in-depth look at how hard his inner circle worked to maintain the president’s image amid concerns about his age and cognitive abilities.

Taken together, the one-year-old Biden administration has left Democrats wondering where to go next and provided Republicans with a wealth of evidence that the Democrats have not been as open about the country’s problems as they could have been.

‘ROCK STAR’ NEWSOM STEALS THE SHOW AT DNC CONFERENCE AS DEMOCRATS HUNT FOR 2028 CHAMPIONSHIP WITH TRUMP

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer gives a thumbs up as he leaves the Senate Chamber after speaking on the floor of the Senate on Dec. 20, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Chuck Schumer

Few politicians have done as much political damage in 2025 as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y.

He took a lot of the blame for the 43-day government shutdown that left Democrats empty-handed. Although Schumer himself did not vote with the eight Democrats who ended up supporting the Republican plan to end the shutdown, he received calls to step down after failing to keep Senate Democrats on the same page.

According to many Republicans, Schumer’s political calculations during the shutdown were about fighting hard enough to appease the progressive side of the Democratic base.

But Schumer also failed to do so.

At closing time, the New York City mayoral race had come to a close with a narrow nomination from the Senate Minority Leader. When it became clear that the self-proclaimed Socialist Zohran Mamdani was the one to hold the party’s nomination, Schumer tried to avoid questions about whether he would support his request. That reluctance did not go away and questions about the relationship between the two Democrats only intensified.

With only a few days left until the election, Schumer continues to answer and not answer about Mamdani.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

Now at the end of 2025, Schumer has left unanswered questions about whether he can still lead the team effectively and whether he represents the team’s future.