Democratic Senators Join GOP to Confirm Trump Ally as China Ambassador Amid Party Turmoil
In a surprising bipartisan move, more than a dozen Senate Democrats sided with Republicans on Monday to confirm one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies, former Senator David Perdue, as U.S. Ambassador to China—a critical diplomatic post as tensions rise over trade and national security with the world’s second-largest economy. The Senate voted 64–27 to advance the nomination, easily clearing the 60-vote threshold needed for cloture.
Perdue, a Georgia Republican and former corporate executive, had previously run an unsuccessful Trump-backed primary challenge against incumbent Governor Brian Kemp in 2022. His confirmation signals not just Trump’s continued influence over Republican politics, but also a growing rift within the Democratic Party.
That divide is becoming increasingly evident among young voters, once a cornerstone of the Democratic coalition. According to a new survey from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, approval of congressional Democrats among voters under 30 has plummeted to just 23%, a dramatic fall from 42% in early 2017. Republicans, while not dominant in the demographic, have edged ahead with 29% approval—an unusually strong showing among a group that has historically leaned left.
Brett Cooper, host of The Brett Cooper Show, says the Democratic Party has lost touch with its younger base. “Democrats are completely out of touch with their voter base,” she said on Fox & Friends. “They are aging out. We do not want them in Congress anymore—on the left or the right.”
She cited the wave of retirements among longtime lawmakers, including Senator Dick Durbin, as a sign that generational fatigue is setting in. “Young people feel unrepresented, and they’re fed up,” Cooper said. “If they’re left-leaning, they’re frustrated their leaders aren’t pushing back hard enough. If they’re moderate, they’re disillusioned by how extreme the party’s become.”
While the GOP’s gains remain modest, signs of a political opening are emerging—especially as Democrats grapple with internal fractures between progressive activists and establishment centrists.
Among potential torchbearers for a new era of Democratic leadership, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) stands out. According to a Data for Progress poll, AOC leads Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer by 19 points in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic primary. The survey of 767 likely Democratic voters in New York found 55% favoring Ocasio-Cortez, compared to just 36% for Schumer.
She also ranks among the most popular Democratic figures nationally—trailing only Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren—while Schumer holds the dubious distinction of the highest disapproval rating among Democrats tested in the poll.
Cooper believes Democrats will need to rethink their approach if they hope to regain lost ground. “The strategies that once worked—emotional appeals, selfie videos, performative rallies—are starting to lose their effect,” she said. “Gen Z wants to be heard, not managed. It’s time for the party to actually listen.”
Whether Democrats can course-correct remains to be seen. But with Trump allies advancing, young voters defecting, and internal power struggles intensifying, the party’s 2028 future may look very different from its past.
