As if the Democrats’ ignominious defeat in 2024 wasn’t bad enough, they could be headed for even worse in the upcoming midterm elections.
A Politico report detailed the level of dissatisfaction Democratic voters are feeling toward their party at the moment. After the election and Senate Democrats capitulating to Republicans during the spending bill battle, it is not too surprising that the proverbial thrill is gone.
Congressional Democrats have typically enjoyed higher popularity with their voting base than their Republican counterparts. But the trauma of the 2024 presidential election defeat appears to have ruptured that relationship. A review of Quinnipiac University’s annual first-quarter congressional polling reveals that, for the first time in the poll’s history, congressional Democrats are now underwater with their own voters in approval ratings.
Just 40 percent of Democrats approve of the job performance of congressional Democrats, compared to 49 percent who disapprove. That’s a dramatic change from this time last year, when 75 percent of Democrats approved compared to just 21 percent who disapproved. The Democratic base’s disillusionment runs so deep that it’s eerily reminiscent of Republican grassroots sentiment in the period leading up to Donald Trump’s takeover of the Republican Party.
The numbers are clear: No longer satisfied with the status quo in their party, Democrats are on the verge of a Tea Party-style, intra-party revolt.
The report suggests that this data “is unlike any in recent history.”
The first time Democrats lost an election to Donald Trump, their congressional approval ratings within the party actually ticked up, as Democratic base voters largely approved of the ways that party leadership resisted the Trump administration in early 2017. The same phenomenon surfaced among Republicans in 2021 when, despite Trump’s defeat and the subsequent chaos of Jan. 6, Republican voters remained generally positive regarding their views on the congressional GOP.
The article also references a recent Gallup poll showed that 45 percent of Democratic voters wanted the party to become “more moderate” while only 22 percent indicated that the party should “stay the same.” About 29 percent believed the party should get “more liberal.”
To make matters even worse, two polls showed that the Democratic Party’s approval rating is at all-time lows.
BREAKING: Americans' favorable view of the Democratic Party has fallen to 29%, the lowest ever recorded in CNN's polling dating back more than 30 years.
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) March 16, 2025
pic.twitter.com/VzJ6ZDLRBJ
Much of the consternation with the party centers on its leaders’ failure to aggressively push back against President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. This was reflected in the aforementioned polls.
The Politico report suggests that these issues could bring about a contentious Democratic primary during the midterm elections. Indeed, some left-leaning groups have called for House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to step down as party leader after the spending bill debacle.
It is understandable that Democratic voters would not be happy with their leaders. They lost big last year because of the abysmal performance of their president and vice president and the overall party’s inability to articulate viable solutions for the problems Americans are facing.
But the question is: What could Democrats possibly do at this point?
The party is in dire straits after 2024. Its hyperfocus on issues like transgenderism and DEI and others that were not priorities for voters all but guaranteed that they would lose big. Even after the election, they still have not learned their lesson – yet.
Democrats have no power in any branch of government. Nobody is taking their Hitler comparisons seriously anymore. Trust in legacy media remains in the toilet. The only recourse Democrats have is using the court system against Trump, a tactic they have been using quite frequently since he took office.
Other than that, there is nothing more Democrats can do to advance their agenda. Their political influence is on life support. The only they can do is either keep quiet and let events take their course, or find areas where they can work with Republicans on bipartisan issues. At this point, Democrats will have to wait and see if the GOP gives them an opening. It is clear their usual antics are no longer effective.
