A fresh wave of public sentiment has washed over the political landscape, revealing a stark reality for congressional Democrats. A poll released on Wednesday paints a vivid picture: most Americans in key House battleground districts aren’t exactly raising a cheer for the party. Conducted by Navigator Research—a group leaning left of center—the survey shows that only 39% of voters view congressional Democrats favorably, while a hefty 58% cast a dim eye on them. Congressional Republicans, by comparison, fare slightly better, earning a 43% favorability rating against a 54% unfavorable one.

Digging into the numbers, the poll unveils a deeper thread of discontent. More than half of those surveyed—54%—feel that Democrats in Congress are more tuned in to aiding others than folks who resemble them. Even more striking, seven out of ten voters say Democratic lawmakers are overly preoccupied with “being politically correct.” A narrow 51% go further, pinning the “elitist” label on these legislators, suggesting a growing perception of disconnect.

The dissatisfaction doesn’t stop at party lines. Even among self-identified Democrats, there’s a notable ripple of unease—23% admit to unfavorable feelings toward their own congressional representatives. Republicans, meanwhile, show tighter loyalty, with just 9% expressing similar discontent toward their party’s lawmakers.

This poll lands amid a swirl of chatter about the Democratic Party’s struggles to find its footing after President Donald Trump’s win in the November 2024 election. Reports have piled up, pointing to a party wrestling with its messaging as it navigates the post-election tide. Some Democratic lawmakers drew flak for trying to stage a protest during Trump’s March 4 speech to a joint session of Congress, a move that didn’t sit well with everyone.

Voices from outside the fray have chimed in with sharp takes. Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, speaking to NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo on March 6, didn’t mince words: “The Democratic Party is on the verge of collapse” due to its deep-seated resentment of Trump. Pollster Frank Luntz, weighing in the same day, jabbed at Democrats’ communication skills, calling them far “worse” than Trump’s—especially after their eyebrow-raising antics at his recent congressional address.

The party’s own leadership has sounded alarm bells. In a Feb. 18 memo, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin put it plainly: Americans “now see the Republicans as the party of the working class and Democrats as the party of the elites.” It’s a blunt assessment that seems to echo the Navigator poll’s findings.

The survey itself tapped into the views of 1,500 likely voters in 62 battleground congressional districts—those pivotal areas that could sway the House in the 2026 general election. Conducted from Feb. 21 to Feb. 25, the poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, giving a clear snapshot of where things stand as of March 12, 2025.

For congressional Democrats, these numbers weave a challenging narrative—one of slipping favor, internal grumbling, and a public increasingly skeptical of their priorities. Simply put, these are existentially bad numbers for the Democrat Party in the near future. The 2026 elections are not looking so hot for them unless they are able to turn their public image around and fast.

Democrat Party analysts William Galston and Elaine Kamarck, who have been analyzing data in the political landscape for decades now, have pointed out that the current numbers for team blue are historically bad. So historically bad that they haven’t been in such a poor position since the early 1970s and the 1960s.

“A single statistic sums up the Democratic Party’s decline,” the two analysts wrote in a report published in February this year. “Between 1976 and 2020, Democrats consistently led Republicans as a share of the presidential electorate. The 2024 election interrupted this long-standing trend: Republicans constituted 35 percent of the electorate compared to just 31 percent for Democrats.”

Interestingly enough, some Democrats have been trying to take responsibility and chart the path forward for the Party in the years to come. California Governor Gavin Newsom surprised onlookers when he sat down with conservative Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA to discuss the current state of politics and where the Democrats have failed to connect with the average American.

In the sit-down interview, Newsom tried to play the balance game by implying that Democrats have to let go of some of the gender ideology non-sense without outright saying so. He argued that the Democrats have to “acknowledge reality” while also being “compassionate”. He faced immense backlash for these comments that were actually extremely tame.

🚨Gavin Newsome just agreed with Charlie Kirk that men should not be participating in women’s sports because of fairness. pic.twitter.com/cWMfKLBUW7

— Patriot in Chief🦅🇺🇸 (@Patriot_N_Chief) March 6, 2025

Back home, Democrat allies like California Assemblyman Chris Ward said that Newsom’s comments were “profoundly” sickening and said he was “frustrated” by his comments in the interview with Kirk. Other Democrat allies of Newsom say that the issue of transgender athletes is “ridiculous” and a “fake issue” that Republicans and conservatives are trying to drum up.

However, the American electorate disagrees strongly. Voters in swing states like Pennsylvania have indicated that Donald Trump’s ads highlighting Kamala Harris’s far-Left positions on “gender ideology” were more effective than any other ad in the entire cycle from either campaign.

Not only that, but to brush off the issue as “fake” because it doesn’t involve that many individuals is disingenuous. The fact remains that Americans want to hear from Democrats that they live in reality before they can ever be trusted with power in Washington, D.C. ever again. To ignore the basic reality of fifth grade biology is going to continue to drive a wedge between the Democrats and the average, sane American.

Do you think the Democrats are in existential trouble? Let us know what you think in the comments below.