Democrats in Washington, D.C., are facing their worst approval ratings in decades as the party struggles to find the right leader and messaging in the wake of Donald Trump and the GOP’s sweeping victory in the November election.
While California Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to be positioning himself for a 2028 run for the White House with his new podcast and move to the middle, others are seeking to flex their social media might and capitalize on the attention that goes along with it.
Case in point: Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who has gone from a relatively unknown junior senator to ‘Trump resistance’ frontman in recent months. The glow up (so to speak) comes amid rumors that the 51-year-old father of two is dating a millennial Democrat operative, but what is the end game?
On Monday’s show, Megyn was joined by Glenn Greenwald, host of Rumble’s System Update, to discuss Murphy’s vibe shift and whether he could actually be the future of the Democratic Party.
Dating Games
Just 10 days after the 2024 election, Murphy and his wife, attorney Catherine Holahan, announced they were separating after two decades together. Public records indicate neither has filed for divorce, but the senator appears to be moving on.
Earlier this month, The New York Post obtained a photo of Murphy looking cozy with Courier Newsroom publisher Tara McGowan at a Washington, D.C., restaurant. The two were reportedly on a date, and the 39-year-old progressive media mogul is said to be responsible for the rise in Murphy’s profile.
A source told Semafor that McGowan is dating the senator and shared a selfie of them on her private Instagram account with the caption “not postponing joy.” She reportedly finalized her own divorce to fellow Dem strategist Michael Halle last year.
The ‘Cringe’ Evolution
On her now deactivated X account and through her George Soros- and Reid Hoffman-funded outlets, McGowan has promoted Murphy’s legislative work for years, reposting his TV appearances and touting his stances on issues like gun control and immigration.
That activity only increased in recent months and also coincided with Murphy’s vibe shift on social media and beyond. He was a vocal critic of many of Trump’s Cabinet nominees during the confirmation process, and he went on record in The New York Times saying the Democrats’ “political brand is fundamentally broken” in a flashy profile last month.
“Chris Murphy from my adopted home state of Connecticut was an absolute nobody about a year ago, but then he apparently fell in love with some hard left media company wannabe executive who is backed by Soros and she is helping him on his social media,” Megyn said. “His social media presence has certainly shot up… and now he has suddenly gone from this milquetoast, ‘oh golly gee willikers’ guy to ‘fucking bad day,’ which he said the other day.”
To prove her point, Megyn played this video Murphy tweeted out from a Burger King on Election Day:
And compared it to his much more hyperbolic tone in the wake of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s decision to end the filibuster and allow for a vote on the continuing resolution last week.
“Hey I just got home. Tough fucking day,” he posted. “I am going to go live on @instagram at @chrismurphyct in about 10 minutes to talk about why I voted NO today on the government funding bill, and to give you some early, candid thoughts about where our movement needs to go from here.”
Greenwald said there is only one way to describe the evolution. “It is so cringy… Chris Murphy has been told the great approach is to go online and sound like a hardcore social media fanatic,” he explained. “When you have you know politicians like Kamala [Harris] who suddenly change accents based on who she is speaking to or Democratic members of Congress who never used this kind of language before and now suddenly want to sound like they are social media influencers, it is embarrassing.”
End Game?
Even so, Greenwald admitted it might appeal to some factions of the Democratic Party, which has helped fuel speculation about what Murphy’s end goal might be.
There have been rumblings that Schumer’s days as minority leader could be numbered in the wake of his actions last week, and Murphy’s name has been floated as a possible replacement. On Sunday’s Meet the Press, Kristen Welker asked him about the possibility and he played coy.
But Greenwald wasn’t buying it. “I find it so funny when you ask a politician who is obviously extremely ambitious, ‘Oh, do you think would you be willing to step up into this promotion?’ and they have to pretend like this is not something they have been thinking about,” he quipped. “Chris Murphy is drooling about being the Senate Minority Leader. He goes to bed dreaming about it every night.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Greenwald by tuning in to episode 1,028 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.