A new poll reported by The Hill indicates that public trust in the Democratic Party has further deteriorated since the 2024 election, raising serious concerns for its leaders as they attempt to regroup ahead of the midterm contests and the next presidential race.
Conducted between May and June by Unite the Country, a Democratic-aligned super PAC, the survey shows the party being characterized by voters as “out of touch,” “woke,” and “weak.”
Support has dwindled especially among white men, Hispanic men, and blue-collar voters, with approval ratings in these demographics falling below 35 percent. The data also shows a decline in enthusiasm among party loyalists following the 2024 defeat.
“This is the reality of the perception of us as a party, and until we accept that, it’s going to be hard to move forward,” said Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau, a senior adviser to the super PAC. “There’s a perception out there, outside of Democratic elites, and it’s taken hold in not just the MAGA crowd but people that should be with us.”
“Democrats need to realize that in order to improve and get better to not only win in 2028 but to win in 2030 and 2032 and beyond,” Mollineau added.
Since losing the White House to President Trump in 2024 — along with both chambers of Congress — Democrats have been struggling to find a path forward.
In the aftermath of their loss, party leaders have turned to a series of assessments, including polling and focus groups, to try to make sense of what went wrong and how to move forward.
However, early signs in the new political landscape under Trump have not been encouraging. A May AP-NORC survey found only 35 percent of Democrats are hopeful about their party’s future — a steep drop from 57 percent just ten months prior. The same poll also indicated that many feel there is a leadership vacuum at the top.
Major donors and fundraising organizers have been hesitant to support Democratic candidates, pointing to a lack of clear messaging and momentum.
According to the latest findings from Unite the Country, which surveyed voters across 21 key counties in 10 battleground states, perceptions of the party have remained frozen since the 2024 loss.
While there have been chances to critique the Trump administration on policies like immigration, tariffs, and the so-called “big, beautiful bill,” analysts say Democrats squandered those openings.
“I was frustrated during the ‘one big beautiful bill’ stuff,” said Steve Schale, a Democratic strategist and the CEO of Unite the Country. “We missed an opportunity to really define a different kind of vision.”
The poll shows that Democrats’ central rallying cry of defending democracy still resonates among their base, but fails to win over broader swaths of the electorate. Meanwhile, policies viewed as overly lenient on immigration have turned off many swing voters.
Mollineau stressed the need to reevaluate how the party communicates its principles and priorities.
“It’s not about abandoning who we are. It’s not about leaving people behind. We are a big tent party. But it is about prioritizing the messages and starting where the majority of the people are,” Mollineau said.
“We do better when we first meet voters where they are and then bring them along on other issues. … And nine times out of 10, what they really care about is whether or not they’re going to be able to afford health care, whether or not their kids are going to be able to go to a good school, … housing, living paycheck to paycheck.”
Mollineau suggested Democrats would benefit from emphasizing pocketbook issues first, allowing them to build trust and then pivot to broader policy matters.
Still, the survey made clear that if Democrats want to win back the voters they’ve lost, they need to restore trust — and that may require fresh faces in leadership, ones unassociated with the Washington status quo.
“They want us to have different leaders,” Schale said. “There was this segment of voters … who said, ‘I voted for Barack Obama and I voted for Donald Trump because I thought they were going to stand up to Washington. … They have very different views on the world, but I … believed they would go to Washington and fight for me and not fight for Washington.’”
“It’s a good argument for more outside voices right now,” he continued. “If I could wave a magic wand, I’d love to see the money that gets spent on things like studying podcasts for young guys being spent on electing mayors and downballot city council members and nonpartisan Democrats and even state legislators … to begin the process of rebuilding that trust with voters.”
The poll also highlighted a desire among voters for straightforward, commonsense solutions — something they feel Democrats are failing to offer.
“We as a party oftentimes are getting nuanced in the way that we look at the world, and I don’t think voters are looking for nuance,” Mollineau said. “They’re looking for straightforward communication on identifying the problem and then fixing the problem.”
“Whether you’re talking about the New York mayor’s race or AOC or Trump or Bernie Sanders, the thing that all those folks have in common is voters know where they stand on issues,” Mollineau added. “There is no nuance there. … People know where they stand, and when they say something, voters believe it.”
{Matzav.com}