Democrats are facing a historic crisis of confidence among American voters, with a new Wall Street Journal poll showing their approval rating has plunged to its lowest level in 35 years. Just 33% of registered voters have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while 63% view it unfavorably, the worst numbers since the poll began tracking in 1990.

The poll, conducted jointly by Democratic pollster John Anzalone and Republican counterpart Tony Fabrizio, paints a bleak picture for Democrats as they continue to reel from their 2024 electoral defeat and struggle to regain voter trust ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Even with President Trump’s approval rating underwater — 46% approve vs. 52% disapprove — the Republican Party still holds the upper hand on nearly all top issues voters care about. On the economy, immigration, and inflation, Republicans lead Democrats by double-digit margins.

Voters disapprove of Trump’s tariffs by 17 points, yet Republicans still outperform Democrats by 7 points on the issue — a sign, experts say, of how weak the Democratic brand has become.

“The Democratic brand is so bad that they don’t have the credibility to be a critic of Trump or the Republican Party,” said Anzalone, a longtime Democratic strategist. “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.”

Republicans are not without their own challenges. Their overall net favorability was still negative by seven points, and a majority (51%) of voters said Trump’s return to office has brought “dysfunction and chaos,” while 45% said his administration is “making positive adjustments.”

Despite that, the GOP continues to edge out Democrats in party identification — a dramatic reversal from 2017, when Democrats led by six points at this stage. That advantage helped Democrats flip 40 House seats in the 2018 midterms. Today, Republicans hold a 1-point edge in party identification.

On the generic congressional ballot, voters are still nearly split: 46% said they’d vote Democrat if the election were held today, versus 43% Republican. But the underlying numbers suggest deeper trouble for Democrats, who are seen as out of touch on core issues and lacking a coherent agenda.

The poll did show one area of strength for Democrats: vaccine policy and healthcare, where they narrowly outperformed Republicans. But that may offer little comfort as the party’s broader appeal continues to erode.

With the 2026 midterms on the horizon, many observers had expected Democrats — now out of power — to rebound, as is typical in U.S. politics. Instead, the party is confronting a crisis of identity, messaging, and trust.

And unless Democratic leaders can reverse the trend and reconnect with the working-class voters who once formed the party’s backbone, that crisis may only deepen.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)