(CNN) Former Virginia Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello is betting the future of the Democratic Party on a new generation of politics. He calls it "bold versus old" and says voters are rejecting the political system and advancing bolder ideas.

"Democratic leadership was not clear how to handle the Trump era," Periello told David Axelrod on " The Axe Files ," a podcast with The University of Chicago's Institute of Politics and CNN. "I think that the voters are leading the party."

Recent special elections suggest momentum is on the Democrats' side going into the November midterm elections. Strong Democratic showings in red districts -- even when the Democrat in the race didn't actually win but have overperformed previous elections -- have added to the evidence that a blue wave could be building.

"This is changing our politics in ways that explain why we keep getting these wave elections and why the pundits keep not understanding it. The bolder the ideas are now, the more popular they get, and that's because of how broken the system is for people," he said.

Perriello lost the Democratic primary for Virginia governor last year. His anti-Trump and national progressive energy got endorsements from the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, but did not convince enough Virginia Democrats. It was Ralph Northam who won the Democratic primary and ultimately beat the Republican candidate in Virginia.

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