By Amanda M. Castro is a Newsweek Live Blog Editor based in New York. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, breaking news, consumer topics, and entertainment. She specializes in delivering in-depth news and live blog reporting and has experience covering U.S. presidential debates, awards shows, and more. Amanda joined Newsweek in 2024 from the The U.S. Sun and is a graduate of the University of New Haven. You can get in touch with Amanda by emailing a.castro@newsweek.com. Languages: English, Spanish Amanda Castro Live Blog Editor 🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur. A Wall Street Journal poll published on Friday shows the Democratic Party‘s image has deteriorated to its lowest point in over three decades according to the newspaper’s records that date back to 1990. Only 8 percent of registered voters said they view the Democratic Party “very favorably,” while 63 percent said it’s out of touch with the everyday concerns of Americans. In contrast, Republicans are now trusted more on key issues like the economy, immigration and crime. The poll, which surveyed 1,500 registered voters between July 16-20, found Republicans have taken the lead on eight of 10 issues tested. Despite President Donald Trump‘s continued unpopularity in the polls, the GOP leads in overall party identification. The Journal‘s poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Why It Matters In last year’s presidential election, Trump beat then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, by 2 points in the popular vote, 50 to 48 percent. Trump also won the electoral vote, which decides the winner, 312-226. The Democratic Party faced a string of defeats in the 2024 election cycle when it came to the U.S. House and Senate, with the party’s struggles for a clear message and effective leadership intensifying as the 2026 midterm elections approach. The new poll signals a significant warning for Democrats. Although Trump remains a polarizing figure, the data suggests that voters are increasingly viewing the party as ineffective on core issues like inflation, border security, and crime. What To Know According to the Journal‘s poll, Democrats now face a net favorability of -30 points, with only one-third of voters expressing any positive sentiment toward the party. This marks the worst performance for Democrats in the newspaper’s polling history to date. While Trump’s handling of inflation and tariffs drew significant disapproval—11 and 17 points respectively—voters still trust Republicans more than Democrats to manage those issues in Congress. The GOP holds a 10-point advantage on inflation and a 7-point edge on tariffs. The only policy areas where Democrats outperform Republicans in the poll are health care and vaccine policy, suggesting the party retains some credibility on public health issues. The president’s net unfavorability stands at -7 points, with the GOP slightly worse at -11. However, Trump’s favorability has remained relatively steady through the first six months of his second term, even as other polls show sharper declines. Despite the negative sentiment, 46 percent of voters say they would back a Democrat for Congress if an election were held today, compared to 43 percent who would support a Republican. That margin is narrower than the 8-point advantage Democrats had at the same point in Trump’s first term in 2017. Senate Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, speaks as Senate Minority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, listen during a news briefing at… Alex Wong/Getty Images What People Are Saying Bill McInturff, a Republican pollster not connected to the Journal‘s survey, said: “We were already watching the tide moving out for the Republican Party by this point in 2017, and that’s not where we are today. And that’s worth jumping up and down and trying to explain: how much more competitive Trump and the Republicans are today than in 2017.” John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster who worked on the Journal survey, said: “The Democratic brand is so bad that they don’t have the credibility to be a critic of Trump or the Republican Party. Until they reconnect with real voters and working people on who they’re for and what their economic message is, they’re going to have problems.” What Happens Next? Democrats face mounting pressure to redefine their economic message and rebuild trust with working-class voters. Meanwhile, Republicans are likely to double down on their perceived strengths in fiscal and foreign policy ahead of next year’s midterms. fairness meter fairness meter Newsweek is committed to journalism that’s factual and fair. Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Newsweek is committed to journalism that’s factual and fair. Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Click On Meter To Rate This Article Top stories About the writer Amanda M. Castro is a Newsweek Live Blog Editor based in New York. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, breaking news, consumer topics, and entertainment. She specializes in delivering in-depth news and live blog reporting and has experience covering U.S. presidential debates, awards shows, and more. Amanda joined Newsweek in 2024 from the The U.S. Sun and is a graduate of the University of New Haven. You can get in touch with Amanda by emailing a.castro@newsweek.com. Languages: English, Spanish Amanda Castro Amanda M. Castro is a Newsweek Live Blog Editor based in New York. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, … Read more Read More
