Democrats are sinking like a stone, and the new Quinnipiac poll makes it official: their congressional approval rating has hit a historic low of just 18%, with a brutal 73% disapproving. That’s the worst number Quinnipiac has recorded since they started asking the question back in 2009. Even CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, couldn’t hide his shock, declaring that “Democrats, in the minds of the American public, are lower than the Dead Sea.”
The real kicker? Democrats are turning on their own party. Only 42% of Democratic voters approve of how their representatives in Congress are performing, while 48% disapprove. Back in October, the numbers were 58% approval and 36% disapproval among Democrats. That’s a 28-point nosedive in just two months.
This is not a universal anti-Congress sentiment either. An impressive 77% of Republican voters approve of their party’s performance. The enthusiasm gap couldn’t be clearer.
The generic ballot tells another critical aspect of the story. Democrats still lead 47% to 43%, but that’s down from a more comfortable 50% to 41% advantage in October. The momentum has swung hard toward Republicans heading into 2026, and the narrowing margin should have Democratic strategists sweating.
On the issues that matter most to voters, Republicans have seized control. They lead 46% to 41% on handling the economy and 47% to 42% on immigration, despite voters thinking that the GOP is too harsh on undocumented immigrants. When asked which party is more in touch with their concerns, it’s essentially a dead heat: Democrats at 44%, Republicans at 42%. So much for the Democrats’ empathy advantage.
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“A family squabble spills over into the holidays. Democratic voters want their party to hold the reins of the House but are not the least bit happy about what they are doing at the moment,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy explained.
The situation is even worse for Democrats than just the problems within their party.
“It’s even worse when you look at independents,” he explained. “Look at this, negative 61 points. That means that their approval rating is 61 points lower than their disapproval rating. Quinnipiac has been polling this question for the better part of the 21st century. They have never found Democrats, at least those in Congress, in worse shape than they are right now.”
🚨NEW: CNN’S HARRY ENTEN🤣
“Democrats, in the minds of the American public, are lower than the Dead Sea.”@DailyCaller
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) December 18, 2025
Those are the voters who decide elections, and they’re fleeing the Democratic Party in droves. Can Democrats still win back the House in 2026? Technically, yes, but as Enten put it, these numbers are “certainly detrimental to them.” The four-point generic ballot lead is historically weak for a party trying to win back power. At similar points during Republican administrations, Democrats typically held leads of around 10 points. Democrats aren’t just losing ground; they’re in freefall, and the midterms are getting closer every day.
Polls aren’t the party’s only problem.
As I reported last month, the DNC is in a serious financial meltdown as well. At the end of October, the committee had just $18.3 million in cash — and $15 million of that was borrowed — while party leaders pretend this is all “strategic investment.” In reality, they are burning cash just to hang on in deep‑blue territory, even as the RNC sits comfortably with far more cash and no debt. That’s an advantage that will prove crucial during next year’s midterm elections.
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