Comedian Jon Stewart said Thursday that he believes the Democratic Party remains disorganized and directionless despite several major election victories earlier in the week.

Speaking on “The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart,” the comedian argued that Democrats have not successfully harnessed what he described as a growing “potential energy” in the country.

“I think the Democrats are still a mess. I truly believe they’re a mess just because what this shows to me is, again, there is this underlying potential energy within the United States of America that is much larger than I think any of us could have imagined,” Stewart said.

“And channeling the energy directionally will be the challenge for whoever wants to harness it. I still don’t believe they’re doing that.”

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Stewart’s remarks followed Democratic victories in several high-profile races on Tuesday. New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger, and New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill all won their contests by comfortable margins, according to projections.

While the party performed well at the ballot box, polling continues to show widespread dissatisfaction among voters.

RealClearPolling’s national average placed the Democratic Party’s favorability at 33.4% leading into Election Day.

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In addition, a New York Times analysis of voter registration records published in August found that the party had lost approximately 2.1 million registered voters since 2020.

Public sentiment toward Democrats in Congress has also declined sharply. A Quinnipiac University poll released July 16 reported that only 19% of voters approved of congressional Democrats — the lowest approval rating the polling organization has ever recorded for the group.

Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders voiced similar concerns earlier this week on The New York Times’ “The Opinions” podcast.

He warned that the party’s long-term viability was uncertain if it continued to prioritize wealthy donors and political insiders over working-class voters.

“I think sometimes when people think about the Democratic Party, they think of these cocktail parties in New York City or LA, where wealthy people mingle with consultants, mingle with the leadership. That’s not much of a party,” Sanders said.

“That’s really kind of an elitist institution. So, one of the things that I believe — if the Democratic Party is to survive, maybe it will, maybe it won’t — the transformation has to be to open the doors, to bring in millions of people, to hear what they have to say, to have them start running for office, etc.”

Matt Bennett, co-founder of the liberal think tank Third Way, echoed that assessment during an appearance on “Next Up with Mark Halperin” in October.

He said the party would continue to struggle until it selected a presidential nominee capable of redefining its message.

“We’re in terrible shape. Like, we just have to be very honest with ourselves — the Democratic Party is in really, really bad shape,” Bennett said, referencing the party’s weak standing with voters.

“[T]he nominees and the presidents make the party brand, and for the next few years, we won’t have that. So it’s going to be a tough couple of years deep in the wilderness for us,” he added.

“And I think there are some things we can do to set the table for the nominee. But right now, I don’t feel like we’re doing it.”

Despite their recent electoral gains, the remarks from Stewart, Sanders, and Bennett highlight a recurring concern among Democrats — that the party’s internal divisions and loss of voter trust may pose long-term challenges heading into future elections.

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