Democrats in Congress have just hit a political low that few could have predicted. According to a new Quinnipiac University poll, only 18% of voters approve of the job Democrats in Congress are doing, while a staggering 73% disapprove, making it the worst job approval rating Quinnipiac has ever recorded for them.
The survey, conducted between December 11 and 15 and released Wednesday, included responses from 1,035 registered voters and carries a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percentage points.
This is not just a minor dip—it is a historic collapse of voter confidence in Democratic congressional leadership. According to Quinnipiac, this is the lowest rating since they began polling the question 16 years ago.
Digging deeper into the numbers reveals even more trouble for the party. Only 43% of Democrats themselves approve of how their party is doing in Congress, while 48% disapprove.
Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy put it bluntly: “A family squabble spills over into the holidays. Democratic voters want their party to hold the reins of the House but are not the least bit happy about what they are doing at the moment.”
It’s a telling sign when even Democrats can’t muster majority support for their own congressional delegation. That’s not a partisan problem—it’s a leadership problem.
Despite the grim ratings, the poll found that 47% of voters said they would like Democrats to win back control of the House, while 43% said they prefer the GOP to maintain control.
Yet that modest advantage is sharply contradicted by job approval numbers. According to Quinnipiac, Democrats now sit 55 points underwater in net approval.
CNN’s Harry Enten captured the public sentiment with brutal clarity. “Democrats in the minds of the American public are lower than the Dead Sea,” he said on air.
Enten explained further: “Overall, they are 55 points underwater; their approval rating is south of 20%. It’s even worse when you look at independents… negative 61 points.”
That means independent voters disapprove of Democrats in Congress by a margin of more than 6 to 1.
Republicans in Congress are not faring much better, though they have maintained some footing. 35% of voters approve of how Republicans in Congress are handling their jobs, while 58% disapprove.
However, GOP unity remains strong. 77% of Republicans approve of the job their own party is doing in Congress, compared to just 18% who disapprove.
That level of internal support may prove critical in 2026, especially as Democrats face unrest within their own base.
NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella summed it up with a jab: “18% approval is what you get when a party mistakes chaos for leadership. House Democrats have turned incompetence into an art form, and voters are responding with a historic thumbs-down.”
The dissatisfaction goes beyond Congress. President Donald Trump’s approval rating stood at 40%, with 54% disapproving according to the same Quinnipiac survey.
Among those polled, 54% said Trump is going too far, 37% said he’s handling things about right, and 7% said he’s not going far enough.
On the issues, the economy and preserving democracy tied as the most important to voters, each at 24%, followed by immigration at 18% and healthcare at 10%.
Other topics failed to register above 10%, showing that economic and national stability remain dominant concerns heading into the 2026 midterms.
The Democratic Party’s losses in 2024—including the White House, Senate, and failure to reclaim the House—have left it scrambling to reestablish credibility.
Republicans in Congress are not faring much better, though they have maintained some footing. 35% of voters approve of how Republicans in Congress are handling their jobs, while 58% disapprove.
However, GOP unity remains strong. 77% of Republicans approve of the job their own party is doing in Congress, compared to just 18% who disapprove.
That level of internal support may prove critical in 2026, especially as Democrats face unrest within their own base.
NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella summed it up with a jab: “18% approval is what you get when a party mistakes chaos for leadership. House Democrats have turned incompetence into an art form, and voters are responding with a historic thumbs-down.”
The dissatisfaction goes beyond Congress. President Donald Trump’s approval rating stood at 40%, with 54% disapproving according to the same Quinnipiac survey.
Among those polled, 54% said Trump is going too far, 37% said he’s handling things about right, and 7% said he’s not going far enough.
On the issues, the economy and preserving democracy tied as the most important to voters, each at 24%, followed by immigration at 18% and healthcare at 10%.
Other topics failed to register above 10%, showing that economic and national stability remain dominant concerns heading into the 2026 midterms.
The Democratic Party’s losses in 2024—including the White House, Senate, and failure to reclaim the House—have left it scrambling to reestablish credibility.
Even recent gains in special elections haven’t offset the brutal poll numbers, which point to a broader lack of voter trust in the party’s direction.
As voters increasingly see Democrats as ineffective or out of touch, the Quinnipiac results suggest an uphill battle lies ahead for party leaders like Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer.
With Trump’s agenda moving forward and Republicans tightening control of their base, Democrats may face even steeper declines if they fail to course-correct.
