Only about one in three Democrats feel optimistic about the future of their party, according to a new poll.
Newsweek reached out to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for comment via email.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump’s victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s election left the Democratic Party fractured over the best way to move forward. The disputes are ideological—between more moderate and progressive Democrats—but also have generational elements.
Others in the party are simply fed up with what they view as a feeble reaction to Trump across the board. Democrats have also faced criticism this week amid a new book from CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson detailing former President Joe Biden’s condition before he withdrew from the election, as well as internal disputes at the DNC.
What To Know
Democrats’ polling numbers are not improving much, even despite growing dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s handling of issues like immigration and the economy. A new poll from the Associated Press (AP) and NORC at the University of Chicago found that most Democrats are not particularly optimistic about their own party.
The poll, which surveyed 1,175 adults nationwide from May 1 to May 5, found only 35 percent of Democrats are optimistic about the party’s future, while 36 percent are pessimistic. Twenty-nine percent said they are neither.
The latest figures are worse for Democrats than in July 2024, when a poll found that 57 percent were optimistic about the party’s future. Twenty-six percent were pessimistic, while 16 percent said they did not feel either way.
That earlier poll was conducted from July 25 to July 29 among 1,148 adults—just days after Biden dropped out and endorsed Harris. In the early days of the Harris campaign, many Democrats felt hopeful about her chances of victory, as polls showed her more competitive against Trump than Biden, who had faced growing questions about his ability to lead the country for another four years.
After November, however, national Democrats have struggled to win back the confidence of their own voters. Democratic frustration with congressional leaders boiled over in March after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic senators voted in support of a GOP bill to temporarily fund the government despite concerns of potential cuts.
Conversely, the AP/NORC poll found that Republicans were more positive about the future of their party. Fifty-five percent said they were optimistic about the future of the GOP, while only 21 percent said they were pessimistic. Twenty-four percent said they were neither. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
What People Are Saying
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, speculated as a potential presidential candidate for Democrats, said in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this week: “Democrats do not have the best brand around here or in a lot of places. There’s a lot of reasons for that. Some fair, and some not fair.”
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville said on CNN: “We’re winning elections left and right. As we’re talking about how the Democratic number or image is low, it’s in the toilet, or whatever you want to say. I don’t dispute that. We just won an election in Omaha and beat a 12-year incumbent. We’re winning elections in Senate districts and House districts that Trump carried in Iowa by 20. We’re winning the elections. We won in Wisconsin by 10.”
CNN pollster Harry Enten said earlier in May: “These numbers should be a major wake-up call for Democrats. Democrats cannot count their chickens just yet, because those eggs have not cracked at this particular moment.”
What Happens Next
As Democrats work to figure out the direction of the party, they’re also preparing for the 2026 midterms, when they will aim to win back voters who shifted toward Trump last year.
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