The Democrat Party is facing a massive exodus after their crushing defeat to Donald Trump.
Key allies are jumping ship left and right.
And Randi Weingarten gave Democrats one nasty surprise that left party bosses reeling.
Teachers union boss abandons sinking Democrat ship
The architect of America’s disastrous school closures during COVID just delivered a brutal blow to the Democrat National Committee.
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten announced she’s quitting the DNC after clashing with new party leadership.
In a scathing letter to DNC Chair Ken Martin, Weingarten made it clear she was fed up with the direction of the party.
Weingarten wrote in her June 5 letter that she was declining to continue as an at-large member of the committee, citing fundamental disagreements with party leadership.
"While I am proud to be a Democrat, I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities," Weingarten stated in the letter, according to Politico.
The union boss has served on the DNC since 2002, making her departure after 23 years particularly significant.
This bombshell comes as Democrats are still reeling from their devastating losses in November when Donald Trump crushed Kamala Harris and Republicans took control of both chambers of Congress.
Weingarten’s departure signals major fractures within the Democrat Party as leaders struggle to figure out what went wrong.
Weingarten’s toxic legacy haunts Democrats
Weingarten became one of the most hated figures in America during the COVID pandemic when she championed keeping children locked out of classrooms for months on end.
While other countries quickly reopened schools after observational data showed schools didn’t drive COVID outbreaks, Weingarten fought tooth and nail to keep American kids at home.
Her disastrous policies helped funnel an estimated $190 billion in COVID relief packages to schools that remained shuttered.
The damage from these school closures has been catastrophic and long-lasting.
A 2024 report found that disruptions caused by school closures resulted in poorer test scores and behavior in the short-term, and poorer educational attainment and professional earnings that will follow these children into adulthood.
Weingarten essentially sacrificed an entire generation of American children on the altar of left-wing politics.
Parents across the country haven’t forgotten, and many fled the Democrat Party because of education policies championed by Weingarten and her allies.
Union bosses fleeing the Democrat Party
Weingarten isn’t the only major union leader abandoning the DNC.
Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, also declined to renew his nomination to remain with the DNC, making his decision known in a May 27 letter to Martin.
The New York Times reported that Saunders told Martin in his letter that "public service workers are facing unprecedented attacks" and that the "moment demands unwavering focus."
Saunders added that "in that spirit, and with deep respect, I must decline your nomination to the DNC" and that his "decision reflects our full commitment to fighting the battles ahead."
Both union leaders had thrown their support behind Wisconsin Democrat Party Chair Ben Wikler in the race for DNC chairman instead of backing Martin.
After Martin secured the chairmanship, he made personnel changes that sent a clear message about party loyalty.
According to The Washington Post, Martin removed Weingarten from the influential Rules and Bylaws Committee, a position she had held since 2009.
The exodus follows the earlier departure of former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, who announced in June he would not seek re-election after a messy dispute with Martin over his plans to primary certain congressional Democrats.
Weingarten’s war on Trump continues
Even as she exits the DNC, Weingarten continues her crusade against President Trump’s education reforms.
Her American Federation of Teachers sued the Trump Department of Education in February over efforts to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in schools.
Weingarten and her union allies are determined to keep pushing their woke agenda on America’s children despite overwhelming public rejection of these policies.
In a statement on BlueSky, Weingarten wrote that "AFT & I will spend our time trying to make life better for working people in other ways" and that "there’s much to be done to save our democracy, educate our kids & help working people thrive."
That’s rich coming from someone who literally prevented children from getting an education for over a year.
The fact that major Democrat power brokers like Weingarten are fleeing the party shows just how deep the crisis runs in Washington, D.C.
After suffering historic defeats in November, Democrats are eating their own as they try to figure out how they lost touch with working families.
Weingarten’s departure won’t fix the fundamental problems plaguing the Democrat Party, but it’s a clear sign that the coalition that propped up Joe Biden is falling apart.
The teachers union boss who helped destroy America’s education system is now walking away from the political party she helped drag down with her.
Good riddance.
