But then, I don't watch Fox. From the context of the article, they are flesh and blood straw men employed by Fox to set up a point or points that the professed right-wingers can slaughter to the faux chagrin of said straw creatures.
They may, once upon a time, have been authentic democrats with a modicum of liberal tendencies. I gather that calling them representatives of the democratic party would be similar to calling me a staunch Obama supporter. I did, once upon a time, vote for him, considering him a fractionally better choice than the other asylum escapees that challenged him.
But then, I've never seen them before that I recall. Your guess is as good as mine. You might find out more in the letters section, but I rarely go there because of all the trolls. Some of the Salon trolls make box look lucid.