Public approval of the Democratic party hit a new Gallup poll low.
“Their favorability rating has never been lower,” said a Gallup analysis of a Nov. 6 to 9 survey.
The good news: “The American public does not admire Republicans more, their numerous election victories notwithstanding. Neither party can say it is making significant progress in improving its image among the U.S. population.”
But for the moment, Republicans are the triumphant party, gaining at least eight Senate and a dozen House of Representatives seats. The party will control both houses of Congress for the first time in eight years.
Thirty-six percent of Americans said they had a favorable opinion of the Democratic party, down 6 percentage points from before the election.
Republicans’ post-election favorability was 42 percent, about the same as the pre-election 40 percent. Gallup has been asking party questions for 22 years.
“The descent in Democrats' ratings caps a wild political ride for both parties over the past two years,” said Gallup.
“After President Barack Obama's re-election in 2012, the Democratic Party's favorable rating spiked to 51 percent, the first time either party had enjoyed majority support since 2009. However, after the post-election glow wore off, the party's image settled back down near the 45 percent average for the Obama presidency.”
At the same time, Republican favorability plunged to 28 percent during last year’s partial government shutdown.