Favorability of Democrats has hit a record low as the party struggles to respond to President Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk, according to new polling by CNN.
Newsweek reached out to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) via email on Sunday for comment.
Why It Matters
Since their defeat in last year’s election, Democrats have yet to unite around a unified message and strategy to pushback against Trump, Musk and Republicans. Voters and party activists have expressed frustration with the lack of direction, as the Democratic Party also has no clear leader in the present moment.
Meanwhile, Trump and Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, are in overdrive making massive cuts across the federal government via the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
What to Know
CNN on Sunday released new polling of 1,206 U.S. adults carried out by SSRS that showed the Democratic Party’s favorability rating standing at just 29 percent. According to CNN, that’s a record low in the media outlet’s polling data going all the way back to 1992. It also represents a 20-point drop since the end of Trump’s first term in January 2021.
Comparatively, the Republican Party’s favorability among the American public, while not strong, stands somewhat higher at 36 percent. This is largely due to the fact that most Republicans view their party favorably whereas Democrats are expressing substantial dissatisfaction.
Among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, 79 percent view their party favorably. When it comes to Democrats and Democrat-leaners, that number stands at just 63 percent, which is a large double-digit decline from 81 percent at the outset of former President Joe Biden’s term in January 2021.
The new poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
Notably, the survey was conducted from March 6 to 9, prior to 10 members of the Senate’s Democratic Caucus voting to move forward a Trump-backed funding bill on Friday, which averted a government shutdown. All but one House Democrat had voted against the legislation days earlier, and many in the party saw blocking the legislation as a point of leverage against the Trump administration and Republicans.
The Democratic senators’ decision, which was led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, has sparked significant outrage. Party activists are pushing for Schumer to step down, and leading Democratic House members have publicly rebuked their Senate colleagues.
Polling in February by Quinnipiac University similarly showed that approval of Democrats in Congress had hit a record low. Just 21 percent of respondents approved of the party’s representatives and senators, which was an all-time low since Quinnipiac began asking the question back in 2009. A large majority of respondents, 68 percent, said they disapproved.
Even among Democrats specifically, 49 percent said they disapprove of their party’s performance in Congress whereas 40 percent approve. The survey was carried out from February 13 to 17 among 1,039 registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
Charlotte Clymer, a Democratic operative, told Newsweek: “At the moment, we are rudderless. There is no sense of vision. The messaging is abysmal. Members of Congress are privately admitting to reporters that they’re not sure what our direction is supposed to be. Above all, we need leadership who will fight back and show voters we stand against the disastrous actions of Trump and Elon Musk.”
Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, on X, formerly Twitter, commenting on the new CNN polling: “Americans and Democrats are fed up with the old guard. Our new leaders to build our nation’s future simply cannot be those who have been part of the establishment and the glaring failures of the status quo.”
What Happens Next?
It’s unclear how Democrats will unify moving forward to respond to Trump and Republicans. However, a number of prominent Democrats appear to be working to create a more cohesive strategy and message.
