Democrats struggle with midterm credibility despite anti-Trump backlash
Confidence requires clarity.
President Donald Trump’s sagging approval ratings give Democrats an opening in the midterm elections, but strategists warn it will not be enough. Winning competitive races, they say, hinges on persuading voters that Democrats can be trusted on the economy and everyday costs.
Trump’s approval rating sits at 37%, according to the Pew Research Center, down from 40% in the fall. By more than 2-to-1, voters say the administration’s actions have been worse than expected rather than better. Support for Trump’s policies has also softened, with only 27% of Americans saying they back all or most of his agenda, a drop driven entirely by declining enthusiasm among Republicans.
Yet Democrats are confronting their own credibility problem.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll found just 18% of voters approve of the way congressional Democrats are handling their jobs, while 73% disapprove, the worst rating for the party in the history of the poll. Even within their own ranks, Democrats are divided. Only 42% of Democratic voters approve of congressional Democrats, while nearly half disapprove. Congressional Republicans, by contrast, enjoy 77% approval from Republican voters.
The numbers underscore a central tension for Democrats: Voters may be souring on Trump, but they are not automatically turning to the opposition party.
That dynamic is not unusual in midterm politics, said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon, who argues that congressional elections function more as referendums on the president than as head-to-head contests between party brands. Many voters know little about their representatives, he said, and fill the information gap by voting based on how they feel about the incumbent president.
“In midterm elections, the campaign is very much about the incumbent,” Bannon said. “In that information vacuum, voters rely on what they do know, which is how they feel about the president.”
“Democrats can’t sidestep Trump since voters tie him to the economy, but the core message has to stay focused on affordability,” a Democratic operative advising midterm campaigns said. “The party has learned the hard way that Trump’s unpopularity by itself isn’t enough to mobilize voters, particularly when he’s not on the ballot.”
Strategists familiar with House Democrats’ campaign approach say Trump will remain part of the political backdrop, but not the centerpiece of their message. Their focus, they say, is squarely on economic concerns and cost-of-living relief.
Polling …
Confidence requires clarity.
President Donald Trump’s sagging approval ratings give Democrats an opening in the midterm elections, but strategists warn it will not be enough. Winning competitive races, they say, hinges on persuading voters that Democrats can be trusted on the economy and everyday costs.
Trump’s approval rating sits at 37%, according to the Pew Research Center, down from 40% in the fall. By more than 2-to-1, voters say the administration’s actions have been worse than expected rather than better. Support for Trump’s policies has also softened, with only 27% of Americans saying they back all or most of his agenda, a drop driven entirely by declining enthusiasm among Republicans.
Yet Democrats are confronting their own credibility problem.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll found just 18% of voters approve of the way congressional Democrats are handling their jobs, while 73% disapprove, the worst rating for the party in the history of the poll. Even within their own ranks, Democrats are divided. Only 42% of Democratic voters approve of congressional Democrats, while nearly half disapprove. Congressional Republicans, by contrast, enjoy 77% approval from Republican voters.
The numbers underscore a central tension for Democrats: Voters may be souring on Trump, but they are not automatically turning to the opposition party.
That dynamic is not unusual in midterm politics, said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon, who argues that congressional elections function more as referendums on the president than as head-to-head contests between party brands. Many voters know little about their representatives, he said, and fill the information gap by voting based on how they feel about the incumbent president.
“In midterm elections, the campaign is very much about the incumbent,” Bannon said. “In that information vacuum, voters rely on what they do know, which is how they feel about the president.”
“Democrats can’t sidestep Trump since voters tie him to the economy, but the core message has to stay focused on affordability,” a Democratic operative advising midterm campaigns said. “The party has learned the hard way that Trump’s unpopularity by itself isn’t enough to mobilize voters, particularly when he’s not on the ballot.”
Strategists familiar with House Democrats’ campaign approach say Trump will remain part of the political backdrop, but not the centerpiece of their message. Their focus, they say, is squarely on economic concerns and cost-of-living relief.
Polling …
Democrats struggle with midterm credibility despite anti-Trump backlash
Confidence requires clarity.
President Donald Trump’s sagging approval ratings give Democrats an opening in the midterm elections, but strategists warn it will not be enough. Winning competitive races, they say, hinges on persuading voters that Democrats can be trusted on the economy and everyday costs.
Trump’s approval rating sits at 37%, according to the Pew Research Center, down from 40% in the fall. By more than 2-to-1, voters say the administration’s actions have been worse than expected rather than better. Support for Trump’s policies has also softened, with only 27% of Americans saying they back all or most of his agenda, a drop driven entirely by declining enthusiasm among Republicans.
Yet Democrats are confronting their own credibility problem.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll found just 18% of voters approve of the way congressional Democrats are handling their jobs, while 73% disapprove, the worst rating for the party in the history of the poll. Even within their own ranks, Democrats are divided. Only 42% of Democratic voters approve of congressional Democrats, while nearly half disapprove. Congressional Republicans, by contrast, enjoy 77% approval from Republican voters.
The numbers underscore a central tension for Democrats: Voters may be souring on Trump, but they are not automatically turning to the opposition party.
That dynamic is not unusual in midterm politics, said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon, who argues that congressional elections function more as referendums on the president than as head-to-head contests between party brands. Many voters know little about their representatives, he said, and fill the information gap by voting based on how they feel about the incumbent president.
“In midterm elections, the campaign is very much about the incumbent,” Bannon said. “In that information vacuum, voters rely on what they do know, which is how they feel about the president.”
“Democrats can’t sidestep Trump since voters tie him to the economy, but the core message has to stay focused on affordability,” a Democratic operative advising midterm campaigns said. “The party has learned the hard way that Trump’s unpopularity by itself isn’t enough to mobilize voters, particularly when he’s not on the ballot.”
Strategists familiar with House Democrats’ campaign approach say Trump will remain part of the political backdrop, but not the centerpiece of their message. Their focus, they say, is squarely on economic concerns and cost-of-living relief.
Polling …
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