New Polls Show Democratic Party, Stunned by the Trump Steamroller, Facing Worst Unfavorable Ratings in Decades

Americans’ opinion of the Democratic Party is now lower than at any point since polling firms began asking the question, with less than 30 percent of adults having a favorable view of the party, according to two new polls out Sunday. The collapse in the party’s popularity comes as President Trump’s approval rating remains relatively high compared to his typical popularity, and as Americans express optimism about the future of the country. The two polls show that Americans have rapidly soured on Democrats, whose loss of the Senate and White House last year, as well as their inability to retake the House, has left Democrats themselves especially dispirited.The first survey, from CNN and SSRS, shows that only 29 percent of Americans have a positive view of the party — the lowest number since CNN began asking the question in 1992. In total, 54 percent have a negative view of the Democrats. In October 2024, 39 percent had a favorable view and 51 percent had an unfavorable view — meaning there has been an 18-point swing against the Democrats since the last election. When you break down specific groups, the picture for Democrats grows even dimmer. Only 30 percent of those ages 35 and under, 32 percent of self-described moderates, and 19 percent of independent voters have a positive view of the party. Among registered Democrats, only 72 percent say they approve of their own party. Another survey from NBC News and Hart Research paints a similar picture for Democrats. Only 27 percent of voters say they have a favorable opinion of the party in that survey, compared to 55 percent who have an unfavorable view. The numbers are better for Republicans, who are viewed positively by 39 percent of Americans while only 49 percent have a negative opinion. For Mr. Trump and his party, the poll numbers released Sunday show him in a relatively weak position, though not nearly as bleak as the one faced by Democrats. Just more than half, or 51 percent, of voters disapprove of Mr. Trump’s job performance as president, while 47 percent approve. During his first term, Mr. Trump’s approval rating hovered around 40 percent for most of his time in the White House. A more welcome sign for Republicans, however, is the number of Americans who now say the country is on the right track. According to the NBC News–Hart Research poll, 44 percent of voters now see the country as moving in the right direction, while 54 percent say it is on the wrong track. That is the highest “right track” number since early 2004, and a sharp increase from November 2024 when just 27 percent of Americans believed the country was headed in the right direction. An internal fight among Democratic lawmakers has been simmering for weeks as the minority party, shut off from all levers of power, has been looking for the most effective messaging and strategy to combat Mr. Trump. The most recent government funding fight in the Senate exposed a deep divide among Democrats about how to win back voters’ trust and capitalize on Mr. Trump’s growing unpopularity. One of the fiercest advocates for Democrats taking a harder line against Mr. Trump and his administration is Senator Murphy, who went on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday to claim that voters are souring on his party because they are failing to put up an adequate fight against the president. On Friday, ten of his Senate Democratic colleagues joined with Republicans to advance a government funding bill that will keep the government open through the end of the fiscal year. “Are we willing to fight?” Mr. Murphy said of himself and his colleagues. “We need to have a conversation inside the caucus about whether we are willing to stand up to Republicans.” The Connecticut senator specifically listed the upcoming fight over the debt ceiling — which will reach its limit in the next six to eight weeks, according to the Treasury Department — as well as the next government funding round at the end of September. “Americans want the Democratic Party to stand up and fight and to take risks,” Mr. Murphy said. “I think Democrats in this country — but I think the broad middle of the public, as well — want to see our party fighting in exceptional ways.”

New Polls Show Democratic Party, Stunned by the Trump Steamroller, Facing Worst Unfavorable Ratings in Decades

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