Congressional Democrats Face Record Low Approval Ratings

CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, stated on Thursday that current approval ratings for Congressional Democrats are historically low. In fact, just 39% of Democrats approve of their performance, while 52% express disapproval, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released on Wednesday. On “CNN News Central,” Enten suggested that Democrats’ responses regarding the forwarding of documents related to the Trump administration have been ineffective, contributing to their declining support.

Interestingly, among Republicans, support for Trump remains steady. “There’s something important here,” Enten remarked. “We’re discussing the possibility of Republicans distancing themselves from Donald Trump, but that hasn’t happened.” However, he raised concerns about Congressional Democrats and their disconnection from their own base. According to Quinnipiac data, Democrats’ net approval rating has dropped significantly, showing a minus 12 points in June 2025.

“Isn’t that low enough?” he questioned, noting that in July 2025, the rating fell to minus 13 points—marking the lowest net approval rating within the Democratic Party. “Trump, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have issues with his political support. It’s the Democrats who are facing challenges within their own ranks.”

The same Quinnipiac poll indicated that despite controversies surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, Trump’s approval rating among Republicans rose to 90%. Additionally, a CNN/SSRS opinion survey released on Wednesday found his approval rating among Republicans was at 88%.

Axios has reported on developments regarding Epstein and the Justice Department (DOJ) and FBI investigations, highlighting that no “client list” was found. Both Trump supporters and, notably, former White House adviser Steve Bannon are urging for complete transparency regarding Epstein documents, with Bannon stating, “I don’t think this will go away… you have to release everything.”

Enten also pointed out historical trends, saying that Democrats have lagged behind in opinion polls compared to 2006 and 2018. Currently, Democrats lead by just two points, a stark contrast to a seven-point lead observed in 2017. He added, “The current lead is less than half of where they stood in either 2017 or 2005 during the same timeframe before midterm elections.”

Finally, a CNN/SSRS poll revealed that only 27% of Americans approved of Congressional Democrats’ actions as of July 1.