CNN poll reveals most Democrats can’t stand their own party as it stands

A new CNN poll conducted from Jan. 9-12 by SSRS Research
revealed Sunday just to what extent the Democratic Party’s humiliating losses of the U.S. Senate and White House and failure to retake the House sapped its credibility and support among fellow travelers.

According to the poll, 58% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said that the Democratic Party either needs major changes or a complete transformation. For context, only 34% of the same cohort figured the party was in need of such changes following Democrats’ retention of Senate control and loss of the House in the 2022 midterms.

The percentage of Democrats who hold an unfavorable opinion of their own party is now in the double digits, with 14% of respondents signaling disenchantment. When broken down into liberals, moderates, and conservatives, the Democratic Party scored unfavorability ratings of 29%, 40%, and 71%, respectively.

Democratic disenchantment has been bubbling over since Trump’s landslide victory.

While fellow travelers of various stripes have apparently had enough of the party as currently comprised and conducting itself, it appears some aren’t handling matters as well as others. CNN
noted that 52% of Democratic-aligned women indicated they are angry about the political situation in America today, with less than 20% suggesting they are alternatively optimistic, fired up, inspired, or proud.

More miserable than Democratic women is the party’s favorability rating among all respondents. Just 33% of Americans signaled a favorable view of the Democratic Party for which Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) currently serves as House minority leader and for which Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) serves as minority Senate leader. This is the lowest favorability rating CNN has recorded for the Democratic Party since it began conducting the poll in 1992.

Whereas Democrats are dissatisfied with their party, Republicans have proven overwhelmingly happy with their own, with 85% of respondents saying they approved of the GOP. When it comes to Republicans and Republican-leaning independents together, 78% said they have a favorable view of the Republican Party.

Another troubling sign for the Democrats are the numbers regarding alignment. When asked whether the last few years of politics in the U.S. have made them feel more like a part of the Democratic Party, 26% of Democratic respondents answered in the affirmative and 28% said no. When looking at the broader cohort of Democratic-aligned adults, the number who felt pushed away by their radical party outnumbered those pulled closer by nearly double digits, 32% to 23%.

Alternatively, when GOP-aligned respondents — who majoritively would back President-elect Donald Trump over congressional Republicans in the event of a disagreement — were asked the same question, 43% said that they have been drawn closer to their party and only 18% said they were pushed away.

Democratic disenchantment has been bubbling over since Trump’s landslide victory.

Pew Research Center polling
revealed in November that Democrats’ pessimism about the fate of their party was higher than at any other time over the previous eight years. Whereas after the 2022 midterm elections, 28% of Democrats said they were pessimistic about their party’s future, in November 2024, 49% expressed pessimism.

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