If Democrats were hoping for momentum heading into the 2026 midterm elections, the latest polling delivers a brutal reality check. According to a new Quinnipiac University survey, just 18 percent of voters approve of how Democrats in Congress are performing, while a staggering 73 percent disapprove. That’s the worst approval rating Quinnipiac has ever recorded for congressional Democrats since it began tracking the question in 2009.
The damage isn’t coming only from Republicans or independents. Democrats are losing their own base.
Among Democratic voters, approval of their party’s performance in Congress has collapsed to 42 percent, while 48 percent now disapprove. Just two months ago, in October, approval stood at 58 percent. That’s a 28-point swing, turning a +22 net approval into a –6, and marking the first time in Quinnipiac’s history that Democrats themselves are giving their congressional leaders a thumbs-down.
Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy summed it up bluntly:
“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.”
Independents are even more unforgiving. Democrats face a 61-point gap between approval and disapproval among independents, effectively rendering the party radioactive with the very voters who decide midterms.
Meanwhile, Republicans are in far better shape. Seventy-seven percent of Republican voters approve of how GOP members of Congress are performing, while just 18 percent disapprove—a mirror image of the Democrats’ collapse.
The numbers are so grim that even CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, couldn’t put lipstick on them.
“Democrats, in the minds of the American public, are lower than the Dead Sea,” Enten said. He noted that congressional Democrats are sitting at a –55 net approval rating, calling it their worst showing in more than two decades, “They have never found Democrats, at least those in Congress, in worse shape than they are right now.”
Enten traced the collapse back to October’s government shutdown, when Democrats briefly enjoyed a rally effect.
“I think during the shutdown, there was a bit of a boost for Democrats,” he said. But the aftermath erased that advantage quickly, “Democrats did not like how that shutdown turned out.”
The fallout is already hitting individual lawmakers.
“One of the reasons that Dan Goldman is in trouble right now and a potential primary against Brad Ladner is because at this point, the Democratic base is so upset with Democrats,” Enten explained, warning that even if Democrats regain Congress, some incumbents may not survive their own voters.
Even the so-called bright spot looks dim. Democrats currently lead the generic congressional ballot by just four points with a Republican president in office—a margin Enten called “pathetically weak” by historical standards. In both 2008 and 2018, Democrats held double-digit leads before winning Congress.
Enten urged caution:
“Yes, you’re on your way to a congressional majority… but it’s still a long time.” And with numbers like these, he added, “It might be a tougher road to hoe than normally you would think.”
The takeaway is unmistakable. Democrats appear to be betting everything on opposition to President Trump while ignoring their own record—and voters, including Democrats themselves, are no longer buying it. Heading into 2026, this is not the profile of a confident party. It’s the profile of a party in open revolt against itself.
