6 in 10 voters view Democrats negatively: WSJ poll

The Democratic Party is viewed negatively by 63 percent of American voters — the lowest approval rating of the party in more than 30 years of The Wall Street Journal's surveys — according to a new poll from the newspaper.

The survey found that while voters disapproved of President Trump’s handling of a variety of issues, they generally said they trusted Republicans more than Democrats to take care of those issues in Congress.

On tariffs, for instance, voters disapproved of Trump’s policies by 17 percentage points, but trusted Republican lawmakers more than Democrats on the issue by seven points.

Only 8 percent of voters viewed Democrats “very favorably” in the poll. President Trump himself had an approval rating of 46 percent.

The Wall Street Journal poll follows a survey from CNN released Thursday which found that just 28 percent of voters viewed the Democrats favorably.

Democrats are confronting widespread voter malaise and perceptions that the party is listless ahead of the 2026 midterms as key parts of the party’s national infrastructure have been rocked by infighting.

Still, they are seeking to capitalize on Trump’s more unpopular policies. 

They hope the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill,” with tax cuts favoring the wealthy alongside significant cuts to Medicaid and other social services, could galvanize voters. A slight majority — 52 percent — of voters in Friday's Journal poll disapproved of the bill.

The ongoing controversy over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a flashpoint for MAGA voters that Democrats have sought to exploit — may also come into play as members of Congress head home for the August recess.

The Journal’s poll found that voters were highly skeptical that the Justice Department had thoroughly investigated the issue, with 65 percent of Democrats and 30 percent of Republicans saying they had “no confidence” in the department’s review.

The poll of 1,500 registered voters was conducted between July 16 and July 20 with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. It was conducted by Democratic pollster John Anzalone and GOP strategist Tony Fabrizio.