WASHINGTON — Despite winning several recent special elections, the Democratic Party continues to struggle with internal approval ratings following Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential victory, according to fresh polling data from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The survey shows that roughly 70% of Democratic voters maintain positive feelings toward their party — a significant drop from the 85% approval rating recorded in September 2024, which fell to 67% by October 2025. This decline represents an unusually steep fall in party confidence that hasn’t recovered despite recent electoral successes.
While midterm elections remain months away and poor favorability ratings don’t guarantee electoral failure, the enthusiasm gap could present long-term challenges for the party. Historical trends typically favor the opposition party during midterm cycles, and negative public opinion of Trump and Republicans, combined with independent voters gravitating toward the out-of-power party, may still benefit Democrats.
The internal dissatisfaction spans all demographic groups within the Democratic base, cutting across age, race, ideology, and education levels — indicating that targeted appeals to specific voter segments won’t easily resolve the issue.
Gallup polling confirms this trend, showing a 12-percentage-point decline in Democratic self-approval over the past year, marking the lowest rating since tracking began in 2001. Notably, Democrats didn’t experience similar drops after Trump’s initial 2016 victory.
Additional research from Pew Research Center found that approximately two-thirds of Democrats reported feeling “frustrated” with their party in September, compared to just 40% of Republicans expressing similar sentiments about the GOP. Among frustrated Democrats, roughly 40% believed their party wasn’t fighting Trump aggressively enough, while about 10% cited poor leadership and lack of unified messaging.
The discontent extends beyond party lines, with roughly one-quarter of all Americans holding negative views of both major political parties, particularly among independent voters and those under 45. Only about half of U.S. adults view one party positively, while just 10% approve of both parties.
Long-term Gallup data indicates that Democratic favorability among the general public began declining around 2010, with at least half of Americans maintaining unfavorable views since then. Current negative ratings for Democrats now match the worst periods for Republican approval.
However, some opportunities exist for Democrats heading into the midterm cycle. Healthcare remains a top priority for Americans as costs continue rising, with 35% trusting Democrats to handle the issue better compared to 23% for Republicans — numbers consistent with October 2025 polling.
Republicans have lost ground on Trump’s signature campaign issues. Public trust in the GOP’s economic stewardship dropped from 36% to 31% over the past year, though Democrats haven’t capitalized on this decline, with more Americans now saying they trust neither party on economic matters. No party holds an advantage on cost-of-living concerns, according to the latest survey.
Immigration presents a similar pattern, with Republican trust falling from 39% to roughly one-third of adults, but Democrats haven’t gained from this shift either.
The AP-NORC survey interviewed 1,156 adults between February 5-8 using NORC’s AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to represent the U.S. population. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points, with a plus or minus 6.0 percentage point margin for Democratic respondents specifically.
