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.
America is turning into Mexico - bad guys say, you vote our way, Public officials, and we know where your family is. Why else would all this public corruption and drug crimes go on?
“Then why are they winning everywhere? Don’t trust Q.“
___________
Exactly?
Is it media influence, poor Republican communication and apathy, which is typical. Or do radical democrats just turn out other radicals easier, and possibly helped but voting “irregularities”??
Republicans bet they their shit together pronto! The economy and voter integrity issues should be and always been issue #1-2
Re: Post 11 -— Trump’s got plenty more in store for them....Please God!
The media will pounce on even weakness in the economy and pound it into the ground even if it isnt true.
I sure hope this is correct.
“Then why are they winning everywhere? Don’t trust Q.”
Of course we all love the AtlasIntel polling organization. They were the only ones who consistently and accurately showed Trump defeating Harris in 2024 and winning the popular vote in addition to the electoral vote.
Maybe it would be better to say we all USED to love them.
Because, by a remarkable coincidence to the timing of this article, they show Democrats with a SIXTEEN POINT advantage for next year:
https://atlasintel.org/poll/usa-national-2025-12-19
Sure it’s just 1 poll and “ten-and-a-half months is an eternity in politics”, but the subject of this article is also just one poll — and one which has less credibility than AtlasIntel based on their recent track record (of telling us what we want to hear).
AtlasIntel’s 2025 record wasn’t so hot though, as they OVERestimated Republican chances in the NJ and VA gubernatorial elections, as did the majority of polls. Maybe they’re adjusting their methodology now in order to try to be more accurate in the future?
What is troubling about this is that a large nyumber of the democrat voters who do not approve of their elected officials are upset because they don’t find their elected democrats to be sufficiently dirty, vicious, anti-American, pro-criminal, pro-illegal and pro-terrorist enough to suit them.
All of Congress is going to lose the midterms. Americans are fed up with them.
They also own the judges who almost always rule in their favor.
The Dems are like the nation's heroin dealers. Lots of people may hate them, but they're still addicted and will do as told to get the next hit.
Are the pollsters crisis actors?
It’s “row to hoe”, not “ road”
This is a ridiculous piece.
Dems are FAR ahead of Reps on generic ballot polling. Redistricting is a push at best. Two dozen non-redistricted blue and purple state Reps are clearly for the chop, and will consume $200 million of funding just to hold half those seats.
Dan Goldman, Ritchie Torres, the Mayor of Evanston who had the nod to replace Schakowsky and a handful of other Dem supporters of Israel in very liberal districts will face primary challenges but that’s actually bad for us, as the strong pro-Israel money is now Rep-leaning and the $50 million those guys will spend would have mostly gone to us.
The current polls are totally irrelevant.
The mid terms will be determined by events yet to happen
In 2025, our side showed we are largely unwilling to make the effort to vote in off years. If that doesn’t change, then I doubt this.
Trump’s got plenty more in store for them....Please God!
This is a certainty.
, with just 18 percent approving of their performance and a staggering 73 percent disapproving
We see it one way, they see it another.
Yup—folks have totally forgotten the “big issues” of even six months ago...
The problem is that, whether Democrats approve of the job their politicians are doing or not - they come out and vote as a block and straight ticket. The Republicans who disapprove of their candidates - especially disenchanted MAGA Republicans - stay home.
This type of polling is worthless.
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