The Democratic Party has hit its lowest point ever in terms of popularity according to recent polls. national NBC News poll , as it looks for a way forward following a difficult defeat at the hands of President Donald Trump —and as the party’s supporters eagerly anticipate a confrontation between their leaders in Washington and Trump.
Slightly more than one-quarter of registered voters (27%) express favorable opinions about the party, marking the lowest such approval recorded in NBC News polls since 1990. Only 7% indicate their support as "very" positive.
"Given these figures, the Democratic Party doesn’t require a mere rebranding; it needs a complete overhaul," stated Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt from Hart Research Associates, who carried out the research alongside Republican pollster Bill McInturff from Public Opinion Strategies.
The decline is partly due to disillusioned Democrats, as indicated by the poll data, who witnessed their party fall short against Trump in 2024. Now, contrasting the approach during Trump’s initial term, individuals identifying as Democrats express a desire for their party to maintain its stances despite potential deadlock, instead of prioritizing compromises with the president.
The survey highlights the frustration within the party fueling opposition towards Senate Democrats, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who aligned with Republicans during a Friday procedural vote. advance a GOP -designed spending bill and prevent a government shutdown.
"When Senator Chuck Schumer hears Donald Trump say in the morning, 'You're on the right path, Senate Democrats,' he doesn't believe they should align themselves with that sentiment," Representative Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, stated on Friday.
In April 2017, 59% of Democrats expressed support for congressional Democrats compromising with Trump to achieve legislative agreement, whereas 33% believed they should maintain their stances despite potentially achieving less in Washington.
Today, this viewpoint has entirely reversed. Approximately sixty-five percent of Democrats believe Congress should maintain their stances regardless of potential setbacks in achieving bipartisanship, whereas only thirty-two percent prefer making legislative concessions with Trump.
Elizabeth Joyce, a 35-year-old technology project manager based in Texas, mentioned that she might have backedDemocrats collaborating with Trump during his initial term, but such support has vanished now.
I'm terrified that compromise might result in the collapse of our democracy; I may sound somewhat exaggerated here," stated Joyce, who took part in the survey and believes Democrats should stick to their guns even if it causes stalemate. "It's truly frightening witnessing all these cuts happening indiscriminately with little consideration for the consequences.
I believe it's crucial for Democrats to stand firm and show some resistance," stated Samantha Kosloske, a 29-year-old resident of New York. "Honestly, Trump likely won’t pay attention regardless, but I feel this approach will have somewhat better outcomes.
Some individuals within the party who advocate for aggressive action also state that they aren't primarily seeking comprehensive wins. Instead, they aim to shield their party from Republican initiatives they disagree with. It’s important to note that Democrats currently hold a minority position in both the House and the Senate.
"I don't anticipate getting much accomplished, particularly productive tasks, during this period. However, I would hope they could avoid harmful outcomes or at least try their best to minimize such negative consequences," stated Mary Font, a 46-year-old combat veteran hailing from California.
As more Democrats are eager for a confrontation, others within the party continue to seek opportunities for compromise aimed at advancing legislative efforts.
“To secure some victories, we’ll also need to allow the conservatives to achieve some of their goals,” stated Jason Howard, a 40-year-old data analyst based in Florida. He further explained, “There’s little chance of making progress in the coming two years—or until this congressional term ends—if we don’t adopt an attitude of mutual compromise.”
On Friday afternoon, when Howard talked to NBC News, he expressed hope that Senate Democrats would eventually decide to maintain government operations, warning that ashutdown might have negative consequences for the economy.
Other Democrats expressed their desire for their party to stand firm, even if it resulted in closing down the government.
The survey took place between March 7-11, mostly prior to this week's conflict regarding government financing. However, it highlights an issue that overshadowed those discussions, with Democrats in Congress split on whether to lend their support for passing a Republican-drafted funding measure they strongly oppose or obstruct it, potentially leading to a government closure.
Many angry Democratic senators attempted to set their ground and assert that the The party should not agree to let the government fund itself through this process. Following their exclusion from the discussions, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly stated that the continuing resolution would grant "unrestricted authority to Donald Trump and Elon Musk." Others criticized it as "highly dangerous" and "an extremely poor agreement."
In the end, 10 Democratic senators, including Schumer, were involved. agreed to end debate On the funding proposal, enabling it to be approved through Republican support. Schumer contended that ashutdown would grant Trump and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency additional authority to unravel the federal administration; however, this action provoked House Democrats as well as numerous Democratic supporters who wish for their party to firmly oppose Trump.
Kosloske, the Democratic representative from New York, cited Schumer's move to push forward with the funding bill as proof that Democrats are "not reacting" to Trump.
"I thought, 'Okay, so we're just going to let him take whatever he wants,'" she stated.
According to the NBC News survey, there aren't distinct boundaries separating Democratic voters based on their gender, economic background, or ethnic group regarding this issue. The same poll indicates that suburban Democratic supporters have a somewhat higher tendency to prefer that congressional Democrats take a firm stance than their rural counterparts do. Additionally, white male Democrats as well as those who haven't completed college education show a slight inclination towards seeking common ground.
Nevertheless, those who are receptive to compromise still expect more initiative from congressional Democrats.
Howard, the data analyst hailing from Florida, expressed his desire for Democrats to become "more outspoken" and more proactive in promoting their ideas and legislative proposals.
They simply choose to demonstrate quietly with a small sign or wear pink to the State of the Union address," he stated. "That's not sufficient.
A new low
With Democratic voters eager for their leaders to confront Trump, the party has hit an all-time low in public perception.
Most voters (55%) express unfavorable opinions about the party, with 38% describing their sentiments as "highly" negative.
The Republican Party also has a net-negative image, with 49% of voters saying they view the party negatively and 39% saying they view it positively. But the GOP can at least console itself with control of the White House and Congress. For Democrats, the numbers are another a warning sign for the party as it tries to regroup and navigate the new Trump administration.
The decline in the party's reputation is partly due to independent voters, as only 11% view them positively compared to 56% who see them negatively.
The survey additionally reveals that certain segments of the Democratic base have become disenchanted with the party.
Almost one-fifth of Democrats hold unfavorable opinions of their party, whereas approximately one-tenth of Republicans view the Republican Party negatively.
A quarter of liberals have an unfavorable opinion of the party, which is twice the percentage of conservatives who view the Republican Party unfavorably.
The current level of positive sentiment toward the Democratic Party remains slightly above the Republicans' all-time low recorded in October 2013, where only 22% expressed favorable views of the party during a government closure.
Nevertheless, the following year, the Republicans achieved their largest House majority in almost a hundred years when they decisively defeated the Democrats in the midterm elections.
Currently, according to the NBC News survey, the race for congressional control before the 2026 midterm elections appears evenly split, with 48% of voters favoring a Democrat-led Congress and 47% supporting Republicans, leaving 5% undecided.
While this survey presents varied outcomes for Donald Trump, it indicates that Democrats currently find themselves adrift," stated Horwitt, the Democratic pollster. "The positive aspect lies in preferences regarding congressional control, with Democrats holding a slight one-point lead.
Democrats also benefit from historical trends next year, as the party typically holding the White House has tended to lose seats in Congress.
Voters had varying opinions on how congressional Democrats and Republicans handled their approach to Trump, with 53% stating that Republicans were overly accommodating, whereas 50% believed Democrats were excessively critical.
A greater proportion of voters (39%) believe that Republicans are handling Trump appropriately, whereas 30% thinkDemocrats are doing so correctly. However, these opinions predominantly come from within each respective party.
The NBC News poll interviewed 1,000 registered voters between March 7 and March 11. This was done through a combination of phone calls and an online questionnaire delivered via text messages. The sampling has a potential variation of ±3.1 percentage points.
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