The Biggest Losers of 2025: Who Fell Flat at the End of the Year

The year 2025 has not only exposed Democratic divisions: It has also created a short list of political losers whose missteps are already shaping the 2026 battleground. From establishment leaders crushed by a restless progressive base to national figures who wasted valuable time, the last year has left behind a series of cautionary tales for a party out of power.

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The Establishment and the Old School Democrats

The most vocal and visible Democratic figures have not only voiced their opposition to the Trump administration — they have also made clear that they expect a new version of the party to emerge in the future. From New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani promising big increases in government programs to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s hint that she could beat Vice President JD Vance in her bid for president, progressives can easily say they’ve had some of the most visible momentum in 2025.

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

Just last month, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and House Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., faced major challenges from their progressive base. These challengers expressed dissatisfaction with their resistance against the administration. It’s unclear whether these calls are disproportionately loud at a time when Democrats find themselves out of power. But many moderate Democrats told Fox News Digital they don’t think it helps win over the political milieu of the electorate.

If progressives continue to oust the picture in 2026, more established Democrats may find it increasingly difficult to ignore pressure from their far-left flank as the country heads toward the midterm elections.

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Gavin Newsom

California Governor Gavin Newsom He’s running out of time to prove why he could be anything more than a party messenger. Over the past year, he has slotted himself into exactly that role.

In 2025, Newsom has established himself as a leading Democratic pushback against Trump’s agenda. And on that front, there’s no doubt he’s capitalized on that attention.

Most notably, Newsom pushed through a redistricting effort intended to oust five Republicans from power after Texas advanced a similar plan earlier this year. Although the plan received mixed reviews — even from state Democrats who were reluctant to fight fire with fire — it certainly advanced Newsom’s national standing.

But like any potential Trump nominee, Newsom finds himself somewhat dependent on Trump for his next move. If Newsom begins positioning himself for a White House run in 2028, he won’t have that luxury forever, and he only has one year left as California’s governor.

Newsom spent valuable time in 2025 showing voters in California and across the country what kind of leader he could be.

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Joe Biden

On several key issues, the former president That of Joe Biden The legacy has already aged in 2025.

It took just a few weeks for the Trump administration to dismantle the claim that Biden was doing everything he could to prevent illegal border crossings into the United States. With a few key executive orders, Trump brought the country to one of its lowest levels of border contact on record.

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

An automated investigation in the House of Representatives found that Biden delegated unprecedented authority to his aides. Additionally, a book published by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson took an in-depth look at how hard those around him had worked to maintain the president’s image amid concerns about his age and cognitive abilities.

Overall, the Biden administration, just a year after leaving office, has plunged Democrats into the question of where to go next and provided Republicans with a wealth of evidence to demonstrate that Democrats were not as transparent as they could have been about the country’s problems.

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Chuck Schumer

Few politicians have had a 2025 as politically damaging as Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, DY

He received most of the blame for the disastrous 43-day government shutdown that left Democrats empty-handed. Although Schumer himself did not vote with the eight Democrats who ultimately backed a Republican plan to end the shutdown, he received calls to step down afterward for failing to keep Senate Democrats on the same page.

According to many Republicans, Schumer’s political calculus during the shutdown was more about waging a fight effective enough to appease the progressive side of the Democratic base.

But Schumer didn’t succeed either.

During the shutdown, the race for New York City mayor had reached its home stretch with little news from the Senate minority leader. When it became clear that self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani would secure the party’s nomination, Schumer tried to avoid questions about whether he would support his candidacy. This reluctance never went away and questions about the relationship between the two Democrats have only intensified.

With the election just days away, Schumer continued to give non-answers on Mamdani.

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Now, at the end of 2025, Schumer leaves unanswered the question of whether he can still effectively lead the party and whether he represents the party’s future.