Dems Fear They’ll Be ‘Hammered’ If They End Shutdown After ‘No Kings’

As the government shutdown drags into its fourth week, deep divisions are emerging within the Democratic Party, with several senators privately admitting they fear political retribution from their party’s far-left activists if they vote to reopen the government.

Behind closed doors, moderate Democrats say they are caught between mounting public pressure to end the shutdown and the wrath of their party’s progressive base — which continues to organize anti-Trump demonstrations and demand total resistance to President Donald J. Trump and Republican lawmakers.

Grassroots activists and left-wing groups, still driven by years of anti-Trump animus, staged a series of nationwide “No Kings” protests over the weekend, urging Democrats to hold firm against any funding measure that does not include their progressive wish list.

“People are going to get hammered if they vote for the House-passed measure,” one Democratic senator told The Hill on the condition of anonymity, referring to the Republican-backed funding bill that would keep the government open through November 21.

Another Senate source admitted that centrist Democrats are “terrified” of breaking ranks. “We would have enough votes [to reopen the government] if people were not terrified of getting the guillotine,” the source said — a stunning acknowledgment of the left’s grip over Democratic lawmakers.

So far, only three members of the Democratic caucus — Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Angus King (I-Maine) — have dared to side with Republicans to fund the government.

Last Thursday, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) became the fourth Democrat to cross party lines, voting to advance an $852 billion defense appropriations bill. Her decision sparked outrage from progressive groups who accused her of betrayal.

“Sens. Shaheen, Cortez Masto, and Fetterman voting with Republicans today is baffling,” complained Andrew O’Neill, national advocacy director for the far-left group Indivisible. “This was not a good faith effort from Republicans to end the shutdown with bipartisan negotiations. It was GOP political theater, and these three Democrats joined right in.”

Sen. Fetterman brushed off the criticism, defending his vote as an act of patriotism over politics. “I voted yes to pay our service members. That’s service members over party. That’s not baffling to me,” he said.

The widening rift between the Democratic establishment and its activist base has emboldened Republicans, who are optimistic that growing frustration among moderate Democrats could soon break the deadlock.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Republicans will continue bringing the House-passed continuing resolution to the Senate floor, hoping to pick up at least five additional Democratic votes to reopen the government.

Several Democratic senators privately admit that more of their colleagues would vote with Republicans if not for the fear of backlash from left-wing organizations and donors.

“Are there enough Democrats to join Republicans to reopen the government? Not in the near term,” one Democratic senator said. “There is no bipartisan conversation that’s anything but bulls---.”

One centrist Democrat told The Hill that many lawmakers “would have voted to reopen the government yesterday” if they weren’t constrained by pressure from the party’s activist base.

Progressive lobbyist Emma Lydon, managing director of P Street — the political arm of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee — warned Democrats against backing the House-passed short-term funding bill, calling it a “mistake.”

She argued that voting to reopen the government while health care premiums continue to rise “would be out of step with what the American people want.”

Republicans, meanwhile, have maintained a clear position: they are willing to negotiate with Democrats on Obamacare subsidies and other policy issues — but only after the government is reopened.

For now, the stalemate continues, with Democrats paralyzed by their own internal divisions and fear of the far-left fringe. As the shutdown stretches on, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the biggest obstacle to reopening the government may not be the GOP — but Democrats’ inability to stand up to their own base.