Posted on 12/19/2025 9:41:56 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
Only 42 percent of Democratic voters approve of how their own party’s members in Congress are doing.
Voters are delivering Democrats in Congress a brutal verdict heading into the 2026 midterm cycle, with just 18 percent approving of their performance and a staggering 73 percent disapproving, the worst rating Quinnipiac has recorded for them since it began asking the question in 2009.
Even Democrats themselves are in open revolt: only 42 percent of Democratic voters approve of how their own party’s members in Congress are doing, while 48 percent now disapprove, a sharp slide from October when approval stood at 58 percent.
Among independents, things descend from terrible to apocalyptic for the Democrats. The gap between approval and disapproval is a huge 61 points, leaving Democrats almost universally despised among this key demographic. But the more shocking revelation came from within their own ranks: for the first time in Quinnipiac’s history, even Democrats themselves are giving congressional Democrats a thumbs down. Support among party voters has cratered 28 points since October—swinging from a positive 22 to a negative 6 in just two months.
“A family squabble spills over into the holidays. Democratic voters want their party to hold the reins of the House but are not the least bit happy about what they are doing at the moment,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Republican voters are much more satisfied with how their party’s members in Congress are doing, with 77 percent expressing approval, and only 18 percent expressing disapproval.
The numbers are so bad for the Democrats that CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, couldn’t favorably spin this for the party.
“Democrats, in the minds of the American public, are lower than the Dead Sea,” Enten put it, twisting the knife with a geological metaphor that unfortunately fits. According to new Quinnipiac polling data, congressional Democrats are languishing at a net approval rating of -55 points, an almost comical nosedive that marks their worst showing in over twenty years of tracking. “They have never found Democrats, at least those in Congress, in worse shape than they are right now.”
Enten tried to diagnose how it all went so wrong so fast. He pointed back to October’s government shutdown, when Democrats saw what turned out to be their last flicker of momentum. “I think during the shutdown, there was a bit of a boost for Democrats, right? There was a rallying around the flag effect going on,” he said. “But Democrats did not like how that shutdown turned out.” In short, they got the brief sugar high, then the crash—and now they’re nursing a severe case of political hangover.
The fallout is already reaching individual lawmakers.
“One of the reasons that Dan Goldman is in trouble right now and a potential primary against Brad Ladner is because at this point, the Democratic base is so upset with Democrats,” Enten explained, adding his parting shot: “So even if the Democrats take back Congress, don’t be surprised if Dan Goldman ain’t there because of numbers like this one.”
Translation: victory might come, but not without casualties.
Even the supposedly good news isn’t really all that good. Democrats currently hold a four-point lead on the generic congressional ballot with a Republican president in office, a figure Enten conceded was “pathetically weak” by historical standards. For example, when they won back control of Congress in 2008 and 2018, Democrats led by double digits. Now, their advantage is less than half the normal cushion they’ve enjoyed in similar cycles.
Enten, ever the numbers guy, encouraged some patience while gently deflating any premature triumphalism.
“Yes, you’re on your way to a congressional majority… but it’s still a long time,” he cautioned.
“And with numbers like this, considerably weaker than historically speaking, it might be a tougher road to hoe than normally you would think.”
The data paints an unflattering portrait: a party so strategically dependent on Donald Trump’s unpopularity that it’s ignoring its own. Democrats appear to be counting on Trump’s toxicity to do the heavy lifting, but if their own negatives stay this high, his may not be enough to carry them over the finish line in next year’s midterm elections.
The people are aroused.
Maybe the people are not crazy about keeping rapists and murderers in America rather than deporting them?
I see the RATS working the Jay Jones campaign playbook hard. Identify your opponent and back shoot him. Then kill the children of your opponent in the presence of their mother. Easier than forcing the little old ladies with dementia to count all your ballots at least three times.
Maybe or maybe not.
We are hearing the message they want to give for a desired effect, not necessarily what is really happening.
I doubt that. There are too many idiots.
Dan Goldman is slime. If he loses there will be a hatchet job for him in the party.
It is going to come down to the economy and the media. I think the economy will be starting to take off next year but you know that is not what AP will be reporting.
Post-Mamdani, the young Turks will be feeling their oats. Be nice to see them slapped down, hard.
Then why are they winning everywhere? Don’t trust Q.
The polling data paints an unflattering Democrat portrait:
<><>a party strategically dependent on Donald Trump’s unpopularity
<><>Democrats appear to be counting on Trump’s toxicity to do the heavy lifting,
<><>Democrat negatives are irrationally high,
<><>Trump’s got plenty more in store for them
<><>Democrats crossing the midterms finish line is iffy.
It’s going to ultimately come down to Republicans going to vote.
Here’s a thought. Perhaps people are so satisfied with Republicans having their victory that they are asleep during the election cycle.
People might be sleeping in with their mail in vote. While Democrats might be angry enough to vote in their primaries and election. Even though they’re motivated by hate.
The Democrats polled are unhappy with their leaders, why you wonder? Keep clicking your tongues at illusions. Wake up Chuck.
Don’t believe this. It just means they’ll be voting for more extreme leftists before they’ll vote GOP.
At the same time it is mostly Republicans who are resigning from Congress or announcing they are not running again. That is a pretty consistent sign that the Republicans will lose the House and maybe the Senate.
Gee what a shame
The rats aren’t worried. When you own the machines and the officials, the counters and the printers, can make and break the rules at will you don’t worry - you cheat and steal as much as it takes to win and you keep doing it because you have all the money and are untouchable.
Them being mad at the party for not being radical enough isn't going to prevent them from coming out to vote for Democrats in the hope that they can win the majority.
That polling shows the Democrats overall as more popular than Republicans. Midterms look rough right now.
Don’t believe this. Just VOTE RED!
If you vote Democrat, you’re turning your great country into a hub of Democrat-inspired immigrant dumping, Somali gang cheating, Chinese - imposed big city socialist mayors. Less for you and your family, tons of tax money for them.
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