The Democratic Party has a big problem on its hands

Despite the damage being wrought by President Donald Trump in his new administration, it’s Democrats who are losing favor with their voters, according to a series of recent polls.

New internal polling conducted by Navigator Research, a Democratic group, presents a bleak outlook for the party ahead of next year’s midterm elections, where they already face tough odds to regain the Senate. Initially shared with Politico, this poll is among the first comprehensive surveys of swing-state voters since this past November election.

Essentially, pollsters discovered that most voters in competitive House districts believe that congressional Democrats “are more focused on helping other people than people like me.” Just 1 in 4 independents (27%) believe that Democrats are focused on helping them, while a majority (55%) feels the party aims to assist others. 

“The Democratic brand is still not where it needs to be in terms of core trust and understanding people’s challenges,” said Molly Murphy, one of the pollsters, in a conversation with Politico. “Even though voters are critical about Trump and some of the things he’s doing, that criticism of Trump doesn’t translate into trust in Democrats. The trust has to be earned.”

These findings from Navigator Research arrive during a challenging period for the party. Members feel low after being ridiculed for their largely weak response to Trump’s recent joint address to Congress. 

The poll results, which were presented in full at the caucus’ Issues Conference on Wednesday, indicate that the party needs to work hard to repair its image. The question now is whether Democrats can devise a strategy that energizes their base while attracting new voters. If they fail at that, they risk suffering losses again in a year that should otherwise be favorable for them. 

A major struggle for Democrats is to gain voters’ trust around how the party values jobs and work, or the lack thereof. 

According to the Navigator poll, only 44% of respondents believe Democrats respect work, and an even smaller proportion (39%) think Democrats value it. Possibly worse, over half of those polled (56%) do not believe Democrats prioritize working people, while fewer than half (42%) feel Democrats share their values. Merely 39% of the party’s voters believe that Democrats have the best priorities. 

While Politico notes that congressional Republicans also face problems with voters on their handling of the economy, 51% say the term “elitist” describes the Democratic Party well—a terrible number for a party that aims to help the working class.

This isn’t the first poll to suggest a declining perception of the Democratic Party. A February Civiqs poll for Daily Kos similarly found that 21% of Democratic voters viewed their party unfavorably, a statistic that rose to 30% among Democrats ages 18 to 34. Among Black voters, 35% expressed an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party, while 63% of Hispanic voters felt the same way. 

More recently, on Tuesday, Emerson College released a survey indicating that voters have a more favorable view of the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. While 39% of registered voters reported a favorable view of the GOP, the Democratic Party scored just 29% favorability. Fifty-six percent of voters had an unfavorable impression of the Democratic Party, compared with 49% who felt the same about the Republican Party.

“A concern for Democrats is their standing among Hispanic voters—who view the Republican Party slightly more favorably (29%-58%) than the Democratic Party (26%-58%),” remarked Spencer Kimball, executive director of polling at Emerson College. “This signals a potential shift in a key voting bloc that Democrats have traditionally relied on.” 

There has been significant criticism that the Democratic Party has struggled to find its footing since Trump’s election, even though the president has provided them with ample material to work with. Just this week, he sent the stock market into turmoil over his petty and pointless trade wars with Canada, China, and Mexico, all while members of his administration have dismantled parts of the federal government. 

There have certainly been some dissenters within the Democratic Party. However, progressive members who have attempted to confront Trump and the Republicans have faced backlash from their colleagues. 

Indeed, a February survey by the liberal polling firm Blueprint revealed that a plurality of voters (40%) believe the Democratic Party “doesn’t have any strategy at all for responding to Trump.” Twenty-four percent said Democrats have a plan but it’s failing. Only 10% thought Democrats have a plan and it’s successful so far.

These findings indicate that Democrats must find a way to connect with working-class individuals if they hope to reclaim Congress next year. This necessity is even more pressing now than it was last year, given the harm Trump is inflicting on the economy and federal agencies.

Campaign Action