House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined by fellow Democrats, speaks out against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at a press conference on July 02, 2025. (Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
At town halls in their districts and in one-on-one meetings with constituents and activists, Democratic members of Congress are facing a growing thrum of demands to break the rules, fight dirty — and not be afraid to get hurt.
Why it matters: House Democrats told Axios they see a growing anger among their base that has, in some cases, morphed into a disregard for American institutions, political traditions and even the rule of law.
- “This idea that we’re going to save every norm and that we’re not going to play [Republicans’] game … I don’t think that’s resonating with voters anymore,” said one House Democrat.
- Another told Axios that a “sense of fear and despair and anger” among voters “puts us in a different position where … we can’t keep following norms of decorum.”
- Axios spoke to more than two dozen House Democrats for this story, with many requesting anonymity to offer candid insights about their interactions with constituents and activists.
Zoom out: For months, Democratic lawmakers have fumed that their base’s demands to “fight harder” misunderstand the lack of legislative and investigative power afforded to the minority party in Congress.
- “We’ve got people who are desperately wanting us to do something … no matter what we say, they want [more],” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), the chair of the center-left New Democrat Coalition, told Axios.
- Liberal voters have angrily accosted Democrats at town halls for — in their view — not doing enough to counter President Trump’s agenda.
- In response, some Democrats have tried to up the ante: Heckling Trump, mounting rogue impeachment attempts, and getting tackled by law enforcement and even indicted in their efforts to scrutinize the president’s deportation campaign.
What we’re hearing: The grassroots wants more. “Some of them have suggested … what we really need to do is be willing to get shot” when visiting ICE facilities or federal agencies, a third House Democrat told Axios.
- “Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough … [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public,” the lawmaker said.
- A fourth House Democrat said constituents have told them “civility isn’t working” and to prepare for “violence … to fight to protect our democracy.”
- A fifth House Democrat told Axios that “people online have sent me crazy s*** … told me to storm the White House and stuff like that,” though they added that “there’s always people on the internet saying crazy stuff.”
Between the lines: While other Democratic lawmakers said their discussions haven’t gone that far, nearly every one who spoke to Axios cited examples of voters’ panic and fury fueling demands to adopt brute force tactics. (Read more: Axios, 7/7/2025) (Archive)