❓WHAT HAPPENED: Polling has found the Democratic leadership is unpopular among the majority of the American public ahead of the 2026 midterm elections
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Democratic leadership in the House and Senate, American voters.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The polling was released on July 1.
🎯IMPACT: The poll shows lackluster support for the largely leaderless Democrats who are struggling to form a unified front ahead of next year’s pivotal elections.
IN FULL
Newly released polling indicates that the majority of the American public does not approve of the Democrats in Congress and how they are carrying out their duties. The Marist/NPR/PBS News poll, released on July 1, states that 58 percent of American voters disapprove of what the Democratic leaders are doing in Congress, with just 27 percent approving.
Even a majority of Democrats do not approve of the job the Democratic leaders are doing, with only 44 percent saying they back their party’s leaders and 43 percent saying they disapprove.
In contrast, 52 percent of voters say they disapprove of congressional Republicans’ leadership, which is down from 66 percent. Thirty-six percent of voters, including 73 percent of Republicans, say they approve of congressional Republicans’ performance, up from 26 percent in 2024.
While the Republican numbers are still negative overall, they still show that dissatisfaction with the Democrats, particularly among their own voters, runs far deeper, despite the fact that they are in opposition in both congressional chambers.
For months, the Democrats have been largely leaderless following the disastrous defeat of their 2024 presidential candidate, former Vice President Kamala Harris. The party has fractured with no clear figurehead as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, 74, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 85, lose relevance in their old age, and different factions are vying for influence ahead of the 2026 midterms.
An example was seen earlier this year when gun control activist David Hogg was selected as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Soon after his election, Hogg announced he would spend millions of dollars to go after candidates not deemed woke or progressive enough. This led to strong criticism of Hogg and ultimately to his ouster from the position, on the pretext that his election had violated their gender equality policies.
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