
Clay Banks / Unsplash
CV NEWS FEED // The Democratic Party is performing worse in recent polls than it has for almost two decades, a Jan. 29 Washington Post analysis found.
The Washington Post reported that a Quinnipiac University poll published that day discovered Americans typically disapprove of the Democratic Party (57% vs. 31% who approved). However, respondents were more evenly split in their approval of the Republican Party, with 43% having favorable views and 45% with unfavorable ones.
The outlet called the 26-percentage-point gap in Americans’ views on the Democratic Party “not only a huge imbalance but also an unprecedented one.”
“In fact, Democrats’ 57 percent unfavorable rating is their highest ever in Quinnipiac’s polling, dating back to 2008, while the GOP’s 43 percent favorable rating is its highest ever,” the Post continued.
The analysis also reviewed other recent polls, including a YouGov poll that found favorable views of the Democratic Party to be at the poll’s historic low of 38% as of Jan. 27, with roughly 59% expressing unfavorable views. A Jan. 19 CNN poll found that 58% of Democrats think the party needs to undergo “major changes” or to be “totally reformed,” while a record low of 33% hold favorable views of the party.
“That’s four points lower than in any CNN poll since 2006. And if you expand the dataset to earlier CNN, USA Today and Gallup polls, it’s the party’s worst since at least 1992,” the Post reported.
The news outlet added that Democrats’ popularity could make a comeback, noting that Republicans have been just as unpopular or less so in the past. However, the Democratic Party’s apparent lack of leadership and willingness to fight, as well as the Republican Party’s increased resonance with voters, currently present issues for the Democrats, according to the report.
“That doesn’t mean it will always be thus,” the Washington Post concluded. “But it does suggest that Democrats have their work cut out for them.”
