Democrats are seeing signs of growing energy on the grassroots level, raising questions about the possibility of a Tea Party-style movement from the party’s progressive flank.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) drew tens of thousands on stops for their “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” over the weekend, illustrating what progressives say is their message’s resonance among voters.

Meanwhile, progressive lawmakers are signaling the need for a revamp in leadership and messaging.

“The American people are fed up with the old guard, there needs to be a renewal,” Khanna, who has been holding packed town halls in GOP-controlled House districts in California, told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday. “You know, in Silicon Valley, when a company isn’t doing well, you don’t keep the same team.”

The growing grassroots energy carries echoes of the Tea Party movement, a conservative movement that began in 2007 and became part of the mainstream political discourse in 2010, when Republicans rode a populist wave to capture 63 seats in the House during the midterms under then-President Obama.

Bash on Sunday asked Khanna directly about whether he saw a similar phenomenon happening among the Democratic grassoots now. While the congressman acknowledged the growing frustration with the base, he disputed the idea that there was a Tea Party-style movement forming.

“Is it going to be a Tea Party? No, because the Tea Party wanted to basically destroy the government, tear down the government…Many Democrats, there’s anger, but there’s also aspiration,” Khanna said. “We want to build things, like Medicare for All, like a living wage and a lot of other policies. So you’re going to see a new generation come in........

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