Former Democratic strategist Dan Turrentine voiced his concerns Wednesday over two major problems facing his party — and he worries that the party is not doing enough to address either one.

Turrentine spoke with Fox News host Sean Hannity on his eponymous show, revealing the extent to which he believes Democrats are struggling in the lead up to the 2026 midterm elections. “It’s horrifying,” he said, arguing that Democrats thus far have appeared to be either unable or unwilling to do what was necessary to right the ship.

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🚨NEW: @danturrentine *RIPS* Dems over “TWO BIG PROBLEMS”🚨

“It’s horrifying that the party just will not come to grips with the depth of its problems and do the things to get out of it.”

“The first is our leadership — such as it is — is terrified of being cancelled.”

“And the… pic.twitter.com/RypaVNwINx

— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) August 7, 2025

“Unfortunately for people like myself and folks that are focused on trying to win races and rebuild our majority, it’s horrifying that the party just will not come to grips with the depth of its problems and do the things to get out of it. And you said it earlier. There’s two big problems,” Turrentine said.

Turrentine went on to outline the two problems as he saw them. The first, a lack of clear and effective leadership, was on full display during a recent interview between former Vice President Kamala Harris and soon-to-be ousted comedian Stephen Colbert. Harris, even when asked directly, either could not or would not say who was leading the  Democratic Party.

The second problem he identified was a failure among Democrats to put forth an agenda that would actually work to make people’s lives better.

“The first is our leadership, such as it is, is terrified of being canceled. If they come out and say it’s great that the border has been secured, they’ll be attacked. If they say boys shouldn’t be playing girl sports [sic] as Gavin Newsom and  Rahm Emanuel did recently, they were attacked. If they come out and say it’s great that the police keep our neighborhood safe and that they’re heroic in their efforts, they’ll be attacked,” Turrentine explained.

“And the second part is we continue to have no agenda to help the real lives of real people. It’s Trump Derangement Syndrome, and this academic stuff about authoritativeness. Until we come to grips and start doing this work, we’re going to remain in a ditch,” he concluded.

Brandon Blackstock, the ex-husband of pop singer Kelly Clarkson, has died at the age of 48 following a battle with cancer.

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” a rep for Blackstock’s family told People in a statement. “Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”

The news comes following Clarkson abruptly postponing her Las Vegas residency. The “American Idol” winner said she had to cancel to be with her children, River, 11, and Remington, 9, but did not go into detail about Blackstock’s condition. 

“While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them,” she shared with fans on August 6. She went on to thank her followers for their “grace, kindness and understanding.”

Blackstock first met Clarkson at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2006. He was married to his ex-wife Melissa Ashworth at the time, but the pop singer said she immediately felt a spark.

The pair met up again years later and wed in October 2013. Blackstock went on to become Clarkson’s manager, and they welcomed two children together. The music exec also has two other children and had recently become a grandfather in 2022, the outlet noted.

Clarkson said she agreed to take on Blackstock as her manager after seeing how he handled Blake Shelton’s career. She had previously been represented by Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, who was married to Reba McEntire for several years.

“I wouldn’t have hired Brandon to be my manager if I didn’t see first-hand how great he is at that and how much he cares about Blake,” she told Marie Claire in 2018. “And the way that [Blake’s] career has blown up, I would have hired Brandon regardless. He’s really talented at what he does and his mind really does work in a completely different way.”

Clarkson and Blackstock finalized their divorce in 2022.

“I think the thing about divorce — especially having it publicized, and people thinking they know the whole thing — the hardest part of that is, like, it wasn’t an overnight decision,” Clarkson said during a 2023 appearance on the “Angie Martinez IRL” podcast. “I wanted to make it beautiful. I wanted to make it awesome. I wanted to make it everything it possibly could be, and sometimes that just doesn’t happen.”