For the first time in decades more Americans are identifying as Republicans and the Democratic Party is suffering its lowest approval rating since the early1990s due to its grave mishandling of priorities like the economy, inflation, trade, and immigration.
Last week, Democrats were hit with the lowest approval rating the party has suffered in 35 years according to a new survey. The survey, released by the Wall Street Journal July 25, finds that more voters identify as Republicans than Democrats for the first time in over three decades.
The Journal states that according to their internal polling, “at about this point in 2017, more voters called themselves Democrats than Republicans by 6 percentage points.” The Journal goes on to say, “now, more voters identify as Republicans than as Democrats, a significant change in the structure of the electorate—and a rarity in politics. Republicans last year built their first durable lead in more than three decades in party identification, and they have maintained that lead today.”
In the 2018 Congressional midterms conservatives were facing strong headwinds regardless of which candidates they fielded. However, that may not be the case today headed into the 2026 midterms. Republican Party identification is on the rise compared to past election cycles.
Why are so few Americans willing to identify as Democrats in 2025? Likely because the party’s image is so low due to Democrats consistently mishandling key issues. The survey shows a mere 33 percent of registered voters view the Democratic Party favorably, while 63 percent view it unfavorably.
This results in a net negative rating for the Democratic Party of 30 points, the party’s lowest rating since 1990. While the Wall Street Journal poll reveals Republicans are underwater by seven points with voters overall, there is a significant gap in how the public views both partes. Just 8 percent of voters view Democrats “very favorably,” while 19 percent view Republicans “very favorably”, the survey finds.
While public opinion data shows mixed results on how Americans rank the bold reforms enacted by President Donald Trump and Republicans, public trust in Democrats is so abysmal that the party is suffering its lowest approval rating in a generation.
Republicans are holding up better against voter scrutiny than Democrats for one simple reason, voters do not trust Democrats to handle real-world issues, from inflation to trade and immigration. As the Journal points out, voters do not necessarily agree outright with President Donald Trump’s approach, but voters are far more likely to trust Republicans over Democrats on these issues, often by a significant margin.
According to the Journal’s polling, while Americans disapprove of President Trump’s handling of inflation by eleven points, voters still trust Republicans over Democrats to handle inflation by ten points.
The survey also finds while voters disapprove of tariffs by 17 points, voters still trust Republicans over Democrats to handle tariffs by seven points.
The Journal noted that while a segment of voters has reservations about President Trump’s bold immigration strategy, voters still trust Republicans over Democrats on immigration by seventeen points.
The Journal tested ten issues, and Republicans lead Democrats on all but two issues, healthcare and vaccine policy.
These findings indicate that it is not partisanship driving voters’ political preferences, but practicality. While a segment of voters is willing to criticize aspects of President Trump’s bold leadership, voters acknowledge Republicans are doing a better job than Democrats on a broad majority of issues including inflation, the economy, immigration and foreign policy.
This is interesting to note, because for years Democrats largely managed to get elected based on ideology — the party didn’t win based on offering workable solutions but instead won by criticizing Republican solutions and focusing on niche social issues. While this strategy may have worked while times were “good”, it is crumbling under the weight of real-word pressures. The crushing cost of living, an influx in crime, an unchecked border, and a delicate foreign policy landscape are all driving voters toward Republicans. As a result, Republican Party identification is on the rise, surpassing Democrat identification for the first time in three decades.
Manzanita Miller is the senior political analyst at Americans for Limited Government Foundation.
