Democrats have reached the highest popularity of all time in the latest NBC News polls as they are looking for a way forward after a painful loss to President Donald Trump and after party voters ruined it for the fight between Washington and Trump leaders.
Just a quarter (27%) of registered voters say they have a positive view of the party. This is the party’s lowest positive rating in NBC News Polling, dating back to 1990. Only 7% say these views are “very” positive.
“These figures mean that Democrats don’t need brands. Jeff Horwitt, a Democrat poller at Hart Research Associates, said he conducted the survey along with Bill McInzulf, a GOP poller for Public Opinion Strategy.
The slump has been driven in part by known Democrats after seeing the party lose to Trump in 2024, according to voting data. And now, in a reversal from Trump’s first term, self-identified Democrat voters say they don’t focus on finding territory for presidential infringement, they want their party to lead to their position, rather than robbing them.
The poll shows in-party unrest that fosters backlash against Senate Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, a Senate minority leader who sided Republicans in Friday’s procedural vote vote, moving forward with GOP-designed spending bills and avoiding government shutdowns.
“When Donald Trump wakes up in the morning and says, ‘You’re doing the right thing, Senate Democrat,’ we don’t feel that’s the right place,” Rep. D-Calif and D-Calif said Friday.
In April 2017, 59% of Democrats asked Congressional Democrats to compromise with Trump to gain legislative consensus.
Now, that sentiment has completely reversed. Nearly two-thirds, 65% of Democrats want Congressional Democrats to stick to their position, even when Congressional Democrats risk sacrificing bipartisan progress, with only 32% saying they want legislative compromises with Trump.
Elizabeth Joyce, a 35-year-old technology project manager from Texas, said she may have supported Democrats who compromised with Trump during her first term, but that’s not the case anymore.
“I’m scared that compromise will lead to the downfall of our democracy. It’s just a small hyperbolic point,” Joyce joined the investigation and said he thought Democrats should keep the line even if it leads to gridlock. “It’s really scary to see things happening and cut back on the left and right without considering the outcome.”
“I think it’s more important for Democrats to stick to their guns and hold back on the fight,” said Samantha Koslosuke, 29, from New York. “I mean, (Trump) wouldn’t be listening either way, but I think that would at least be effective.”
Find out more about the NBC News Vote
Even some of those who want their party to fight say they aren’t looking for a sweeping enough that their party will give some kind of defense against the Republican efforts. Democrats are in the minority in both the House and Senate.
“We don’t expect anything to be accomplished during this period, but we hope we can do what we can to prevent destructive things from happening or to prevent those destructive things from happening.”
While more Democrats are itching for the fight, some are still looking for a party to compromise on legislation.
“To get some wins, we also have to give some wins to the Conservatives,” said Jason Howard, a 40-year-old Florida data analyst. He added: “We definitely don’t intend to do anything if we don’t get close to them with some kind of gift, at least until the next two years, or at least until this council is over.”
When Howard spoke to NBC News Friday afternoon, he hoped Senate Democrats would eventually vote to keep the government open, arguing that the closure could hurt the economy.
Other Democrats said they wanted Democrats to hold the line, even if it meant shutting down the government.
The survey was conducted from March 7th to 11th, primarily a standoff to government funding this week. But it underscores the dynamics that loomed over that debate that split debate over whether Congressional Democrats would provide votes to allow passage of a GOP-certified fundraising bill that dislikes or blocks it.
Dozens of ferocious Democrat senators have tried to draw a line into the sand, arguing that the party should not acquiesce to the government’s fundraising process after they cut off negotiations around it. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly said the ongoing solution would “give unidentified powers on Donald Trump and Elon Musk,” while others would cover it with “dangerous” and “a terrible deal.”
In the end, 10 Senate Democrats, including Schumer, agreed to end the debate on fundraising measures and allowed them to pass with a Republican vote. Schumer argued that the shutdown would add more power to the efficiency of Trump and Musk’s government to dismantle the federal government, but the move has angered House Democrats and many Democrat voters who want to maintain boundaries against Trump.
Koslosuke, a Democrat from New York, confirmed Schumer’s decision to move forward with fundraising measures as evidence that Democrats are “not responding” to Trump.
“I said, ‘OK, so we’re just leaning over and letting him get everything he wants,” she said.
According to an NBC News poll, there is no clear division among Democratic voters on the issue across gender, socioeconomic status and ethnicity. Suburban Democrats want Congressional Democrats to delve into compared to rural Democrats, but white male Democrats and those without university education are slightly more likely to want to compromise.
Still, even those open to compromise are asking for more action from Congressional Democrats.
Howard, a Florida data analyst, said Democrats are “more vocal” and hope to push ideas and law more aggressively.
“They are willing to protest quietly with little signs or wear pink in the state of Union speech,” he said. “That’s not enough.”
New low
The party has reached a new low among voters as Democrats are itching their leaders are fighting Trump.
The majority of voters (55%) say they have a negative view of the party. These include 38% who say these views are “very” negative.
Republicans also have a negative image of internet-negativeness, with 49% of voters saying they view the party negatively, while 39% say they view it positively. But the GOP can at least comfort itself with the control of the White House and Congress. For Democrats, the numbers are another warning signs for the party trying to reorganize and navigate the new Trump administration.
The decline in the party’s image is driven in part by independent voters, with 56% saying they have a negative view, while only 11% say they have a positive view.
Polls found that some of the democratic base components have also deteriorated to the party.
Nearly 20% of Democrat voters say they have a negative view of the party, while 10% of Republicans say the same thing about the GOP.
And a quarter of liberals view the party negatively and double the share of conservatives who view the GOP negatively.
The new low in positive sentiment about the Democrats is a few points higher than the Republican Party’s record low since October 2013, when he said he had seen the party aggressively amid government shutdowns.
Still, the following year, the GOP won the largest home majority in almost a century, after shooting and killing Democrats in the midterm elections.
Now, NBC News polls show a close-divided battle over Congressional control before mid-term 2026, with 48% of voters saying they preferred Democrat-controlled Congress and 47% of supportive Republicans, with 5% saying they don’t know.
“The survey shows complicated results for Donald Trump, but Democrats are in the wilderness now,” said Horwitt, a Democrat poller. “If there’s good news, it’s that Democrats prefer Congressional control, which has one point advantage.”
Democrats have history on their side next year, and the party has traditionally lost seats in Congress.
Voters had different views on how Democrats and Republicans in Congress have navigated Trump, with 53% saying Republicans are too supportive, while 50% say Democrats are too important.
A high percentage of voters (39%) says Republicans are dealing with Trump the right way, while 30% say the same thing as Democrats, but those views are primarily driven by voters in those political parties.
The NBC News poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from March 7-11 via an online survey sent via telephone interviews and text messages. The margin of error is either positive or negative 3.1 percentage points.
