Democrats underwater in new poll

(The Hill) – The Democratic Party’s approval rating is underwater at 40 percent, according to a new poll, the latest troubling sign for a party still grappling with its losses in November.  

A Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll released on Monday found that only four in 10 respondents approved of the job that the Democratic Party is doing, a slight drop from June, when 42 percent of respondents answered similarly.

Of the 40 percent of respondents who gave the Democratic Party a thumbs-up, they included 72 percent of Democrats and 29 percent of independent or other voters.

The latest poll shows that the party’s disapproval rating sits at 60 percent, slowly inching up from 58 percent in June. Twenty-eight percent of Democrats and 71 percent of independent/other voters contributed to the overall 60 percent disapproval rating of the party.

By comparison, the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found the GOP with a 48 percent approval rating, which includes 85 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of independent/other voters who had that sentiment.

Overall, the GOP had a 52 percent disapproval rating.

The polling underscores a broader trend for Democrats who have grappled with low approval ratings as the party has attempted to reset after a disappointing November election. While the party has begun to regain some of its footing with its messaging as it rallies against the Medicaid cuts included in Republicans’ major policy bill, the party is still searching for national leaders to help guide the party.

“Democrats are doing a good job throwing jabs at the administration, but that’s not helping them with their own image, which remains in the cellar,” said Mark Penn, chairman of the Harris Poll, in an email.

However, the Harvard CAPS/Harris polling indicates there may be several openings for Democrats: For one, the latest poll found that only 40 percent of respondents said the country was on the right track, while 51 percent said it was on the wrong track.

And while 52 percent of respondents believe the U.S. economy is strong today, only 38 percent of respondents also say that the economy is on the right track. 

One thing likely to play in Democrats’ favor is that the president’s party in power typically faces headwinds during the midterm cycle, which could aid Democrats in retaking the House and making inroads in the Senate. 

The Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey was conducted from July 6 to July 8 and surveyed 2,044 registered voters. It is a collaboration of the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and the Harris Poll.

The survey is an online sample drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to reflect known demographics. The margin of error is 2.2 percentage points.