Democrats hammered by ugly unpopularity numbers
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The Democratic Party is the most unpopular it's been in polling that dates back to 2008, according to a new survey from Quinnipiac University.
Why it matters: Democrats are struggling to repair their image with voters after a bruising 2024 election that put President Trump in the White House and Republicans in control of both houses of Congress.
- Democratic lawmakers are grappling — and in some cases, experimenting — with how best to respond to Trump's rapid, sweeping changes in the early days of his administration.
By the numbers: 57% of registered voters have an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party, the highest percentage since Quinnipiac started asking the question in 2008.
- 45% of voters have an unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party.
43% of voters have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party, the highest since 2008.
- By contrast, 31% of registered voters have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party.
- That's the largest favorability advantage the GOP has had over the Democratic Party since 2008, according to Quinnipiac.
Between the lines: Democrats face an uphill climb. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS earlier this month found that 70% of U.S. adults would describe themselves as disappointed with today's politics.
- The same CNN poll found that 58% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say that the party needs major changes or to be completely reformed.
Reality check: The Republican Party had worse numbers during much of the first year of Trump's first term than what Democrats are seeing now.
- The percentage of voters with an unfavorable view of the Republican Party hovered around 60% in 2017, with a peak of 67% in August, according to Quinnipiac.
