The Democratic Party faces an unprecedented crisis heading into the 2026 midterm elections, with new polling showing the party’s favorability ratings have collapsed to the lowest levels ever recorded.
Meanwhile, Republicans have built a massive fundraising advantage that could cement their control of Congress.
A new CNBC survey reveals the Democratic Party’s net favorability has plummeted to -32 among registered voters, marking what appears to be the lowest rating for either party since polling began tracking the measure in 1996. The party now holds just a 24 percent positive rating against a devastating 56 percent negative rating from American voters.
The numbers represent a historic collapse for a party that traditionally enjoyed favorability ratings in the high 40s to around 60 percent through the 1990s and early 2000s. Gallup polling confirms the downward spiral, showing Democratic favorability has crashed to 34 percent, the lowest level ever recorded in that survey’s trend since 1992.
The polling disaster comes as Republicans reverse decades of fundraising disadvantages to dominate the money race ahead of 2026. House Republicans are now significantly out-fundraising vulnerable Democrats, a complete turnaround from historical patterns where Democrats typically won the financial battle through superior online fundraising operations.
NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella delivered a brutal assessment of the Democratic Party’s current state: “House Republicans are steamrolling vulnerable Democrats in the money race, and it’s not even close. While Republicans build a war chest to grow the majority, Democrats are leaderless, divided, and banished to the wilderness — and now their donors are closing their checkbooks.”
The Republican fundraising surge is being driven by WinRed, the donation platform established by the Trump Campaign, RNC, NRSC, and NRCC to mobilize small donors for the party. Platform director Ryan Lyk revealed stunning statistics about Republican fundraising success on social media.
Let’s start with the big picture.
Since 2020, WinRed has:→ Processed $5.6B
→ From 8.8M grassroots donors
→ Worked with nearly every GOP campaignBut the real story is how quickly the ecosystem has matured.
— Lyk (@RyanLyk) August 10, 2025
Adoption is surging. From Jan–June 2025:
→ Campaign signups up 60% vs. 2021
→ 74% of those signups are state-level campaignsThe growth is deep, not just wide. pic.twitter.com/L7vX4g4ann
— Lyk (@RyanLyk) August 10, 2025
And small-dollar fundraising is becoming more efficient:
→ House candidates raised 30% more
→ Recurring donors surged 125%
→ Average donation fell from $38 to $23More donors. More sustainability. More grassroots support.
— Lyk (@RyanLyk) August 10, 2025
GOP campaigns are also working together like never before:
→ $364M shared between campaigns on WinRed
This is a huge part of how Democrats fundraise so much and we provide the same tools to every candidate on our side. pic.twitter.com/WRLGpKrDYl
— Lyk (@RyanLyk) August 10, 2025
President Donald Trump has already amassed a $1.4 billion war chest for the upcoming political battles. But Individual House races show the extent of Republican advantages across the country.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-P.A., led all vulnerable incumbents with $6.4 million cash on hand after raising $1.3 million. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., also raised $1.3 million. Overall, 26 of the incumbent Republicans targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reported having at least $1 million in the bank at the end of June.
Vulnerable Democratic incumbents in swing districts have struggled to match Republican totals. Among the 13 Democrats running for reelection in districts Trump won, Rep. Marie Perez, D-W.A., led the way with just over $900,000, while the median quarterly fundraising was only $689,000.
Some Democrats face particularly dire situations. Texas Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar both raised less than $500,000, making them targets as Republicans pursue mid-cycle redistricting efforts. Cuellar was forced to loan his own campaign $200,000 according to FEC reports.
Joint fundraising committees linked to Speaker Mike Johnson and other House Republican leaders have become major drivers of the GOP financial advantage, delivering six-figure sums to dozens of vulnerable Republican members.
The Democratic Party crisis in their own leadership has led to these fundraising troubles. An Associated Press-NORC poll found that more than one in three Democrats described their own party as “weak” and “ineffective” in countering Trump’s administration. A Unite the Country super PAC survey found party support falling below 35 percent among Hispanic men and working-class voters in battleground states.
Congressional Democrats face equally dire approval ratings. A Quinnipiac University survey measured just 19 percent approval for congressional Democrats, also a record low in that poll’s history.
Matt Taglia, senior director of Emerson College polling, offered a bleak assessment of Democratic prospects.
“I don’t see a blue wave. It’s more like a blue trickle,” he said.
Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek the Democratic favorability collapse likely reflects “frustration over the 2024 election loss, perceived economic failures under Biden, and internal party divisions.”
“To recover, Democrats need to unify around policies addressing key issues like housing and jobs, invest in grassroots organizing, and elevate new leadership to articulate a compelling vision beyond opposition to Trump.”