This poll number should scare Democrats – CNNPolitics.com
What the focus on Trump's numbers misses, however, is that Democrats aren't in a great place with voters either.
One number in the Post-ABC poll really stood out to me as something that should worry Democrats pondering the party's future: Asked whether the Democratic Party is in touch with the concerns of the average person, just 28% of respondents said it is -- as opposed to 67% who said Democrats are out of touch. Those numbers are worse than the "in touch/out of touch" numbers for either the Republican Party or Trump in that same poll.
More amazing to me is that only 52% of self-identified Democrats said their party was in touch with peoples' concerns, while 44% said it was out of touch. (Also of concern for Democrats: Fewer than 1 in 5 independents -- 18% -- said the Democratic Party was in touch with the average person.)
Those numbers -- particularly among Democrats -- are striking. Party leaders in Washington have positioned the party as the voice of the little guy since the earliest days of the Trump presidency: Their side would be the one to stand up for the disenfranchised people in the country whose lives Trump neither cared about nor even thought much about.
The problem with that conclusion is exposed in the numbers above. Yes, there are lots and lots of Democrats who support Warren, buy "nevertheless, she persisted" T-shirts and wear them proudly. But that doesn't mean the party can automatically be assumed to be the voice of "the people."
What it also means is that Trump's election isn't a panacea for the Democratic Party. While it's easier to attribute the party's 2016 loss to stated (and unstated) racism and sexism in the country -- and there was some of that! -- that analysis absolves Democrats of the sort of internal review the party badly needs.
Consider this: A billionaire businessman raised in New York City was able to successfully cast his Democratic opponent as the candidate of the elites in this country. How? Because there was already a preconceived notion within the populace that Democrats were coastal snobs -- shopping at Whole Foods, sending their kids to private school and viewing the rest of the country with utter disdain. That sentiment still very much exists in the country.
It's possible that even if Democrats do nothing between now and the 2018 election, they will make major gains in Congress -- and could well end up in the House majority in early 2019.
But that won't solve the existential problem facing the party which, simply put, is this: Most people don't think Democrats "get" them.
Read more from the original source:
This poll number should scare Democrats - CNNPolitics.com
- Opinion | Democrats need to talk about the word genocide - MS NOW - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Who Democrats selected to replace former NC Sen. Graig Meyer in General Assembly - Raleigh News & Observer - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Democrats pay visit to ICE detention facility where abuse claims are rife - The Guardian - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Trump plan to shift student loan oversight to Treasury draws Senate Democrats' backlash - Government Executive - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- New poll comes with alarm bells for Democrats ahead of Virginia redistricting vote - politico.com - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Meet the woman who wants Democrats to get hot, not bothered - USA Today - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Democrats must step up to fix public education in NC | Opinion - Wilmington Star-News - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Local Democrats lean into claims Husted is out of touch with real world - Toledo Blade - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear set to headline Colorado Democrats annual fundraising dinner - Denver Gazette - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Opinion | Democrats vs. the Freedom Foundation - wsj.com - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- In rural Virginia, excitement and dread grows over Democrats redistricting referendum - MyNorthwest.com - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Democrats are so far the only major party with a ballot-qualified candidate in the U.S. Senate general election in New Mexico - Ballotpedia News - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Contributor: What can Democrats stand for when there's no Trump to stand against? - Los Angeles Times - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Tom Homan: Democrats don't want to reform ICE they want to handcuff it - Fox News - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Maine Democrats flip their votes to put far-reaching data privacy bill in doubt - WGME - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- New Hampshire Democrats prepare to make case for first-in-the-nation primary status - WMUR - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- For many Democrats, Bondis and Noems firings were a key step but not the last - MS NOW - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- North Carolinas Electoral Future May Hinge on Rural Black Voters Who Feel Ignored by Democrats - Chapelboro.com - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Ohio is too expensive. Ohio House Democrats plan to introduce series of affordability bills - Ohio Capital Journal - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- GOP infighting, Democrats' unmet demands and a CLEAR windfall: Who's winning and losing the DHS shutdown - Fox News - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Schumer had a plan to win back the Senate, but some Democrats aren't on board - PBS - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Some Oregon Democrats get an unlikely primary foe: Their partys top boosters - Oregon Public Broadcasting - OPB - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Democrats are starting to like congressional Democrats again - YouGov - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Texas Democrats are pooling resources, holding joint rallies in latest effort to win the November midterms - CBS News - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Anti-regulation Democrats? Top takeaways from the governors race forum in Fresno - latimes.com - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Democrats Probe Into Noem, Lewandowski, Hones in on Pro-Trump Donors Contracts - NOTUS News of the United States - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Thursdays Campaign Round-Up, 4.2.26: Democrats sue to block Trumps order on mail ballots - MS NOW - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Democrats be warned: Trump knows your weak spots - miningjournal.net - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Democrats Start to Hammer Vulnerable Republicans Over War in Iran in Ads - The New York Times - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Q&A: The Strategy Behind Democrats Recent Mayoral Wins - campaignsandelections.com - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Democrats flipped another GOP seat but not for the reason youd think - MS NOW - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- No Kings in America, Real Resistance in Rome - How Liberal Democrats and AIPAC Allies Hijacked the Movement While Italy Actually Fights Empire and... - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- The Republican Fundraising Advantage Keeping Democrats Up at Night - NOTUS News of the United States - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Whatever happened to North Carolina Democrats? - springhopeenterprise.com - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Democrats dont like Donald Trump or other Dems, polling shows: Bottom has fallen out - PennLive.com - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Election 2026: Six Democrats on May ballot vying to face Rep. Turner in November - Dayton Daily News - April 3rd, 2026 [April 3rd, 2026]
- Not just the base: Democrats in recent elections are flipping independent and Republican votes - CNN - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Democrats and voting rights advocates vow to fight Trumps latest order: massive and unconstitutional suppression effort as it happened - The Guardian - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Kornacki analyzes what it will take for Democrats to win back the Senate - NBC News - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Why Democrats still face an uphill climb to win the Senate: From the Politics Desk - NBC News - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Senate Democrats are Breaking All the Wrong Records - House Committee on Appropriations (.gov) - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Political stunt: Democrats scold DeSantis over $5.5M cost to rename Palm Beach airport after Trump - WLRN - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- President Trump Acts Where Democrats Refused Bringing Relief to TSA Workers and Travelers - The White House (.gov) - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Trumps overtime tax break is a hit. Democrats arent sure what to do about it. - Politico - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Democrats think taxing the rich will create affordability | Letter - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Cory Booker says Democrats have failed this moment and calls for new leaders - The Guardian - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Andy Beshear Thinks Democrats Should Start Talking Like People - Politico - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Why Democrats Are Accusing the FBI of Trying to Smear Rep. Eric Swalwell - Time Magazine - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- CT Democrats push forward spending increase for $28.8B state budget that boosts education, services and more - Hartford Courant - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Schumer had a plan to win back the Senate. But some Democrats arent on board - Los Angeles Times - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Democrats look to win Southern Az legislative races in bid to flip statehouse - Tucson Sentinel - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Democrats take a page from the GOP playbook with new partisan voter registration program - azmirror.com - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Democrats flipped another GOP seat. The reason isnt what you think. - Yahoo - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Democrats win another special election, the 30th red-to-blue flip of Trumps second term - Yahoo - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- The Trump-voting pastor Democrats think could cost them a chance at a Nebraska Senate seat - CNN - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Democrats are trying to connect the dots on Trumps 2026 plan - CNN - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- Four Democrats face off for open Metro Council seat. Who are they? - The Courier-Journal - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- NY Democrats to blow state budget deadline again with little progress on talks: At the beginning of the middle - New York Post - April 1st, 2026 [April 1st, 2026]
- GOP, Democrats face pressure to end DHS shutdown: Join the live discussion - The Hill - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Fetterman urges fellow Democrats to 'do the right thing' as government shutdown takes toll on workers - Fox News - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Hoping to unseat Collins, Maine Democrats battle it out in an expensive U.S. Senate primary - NPR - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Homeland Security Talks Hit Snag as Democrats Demand ICE Restrictions - The New York Times - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- DHS funding deal on shaky ground as Trump and Democrats both decline to embrace it - NPR - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Democrats face test as rare Ethics hearing examines Cherfilus-McCormick fraud allegations - The Hill - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Democrats look to boost offshore well cleanups - E&E News by POLITICO - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Democrats Have Fundraising Edge in Virginia Redistricting Battle Ahead of April Referendum - The New York Times - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Florida Democrats flipped two legislative seats in 2026 special election, their best performance in years - CBS News - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Florida Democrats flipped 2 legislative seats Tuesday. Is it a harbinger of trouble for the long dominant GOP? - Florida Politics - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Vast majorities of Democrats and Republicans are concerned about technology's effect on misinformation and personal privacy - YouGov - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Cory Booker wants Democrats to 'Stand' and fight - NPR - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Democrats revive allegations around Trump classified document case in latest political battle with Justice Department - CNN - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Missouri Democrats' efforts to restore child care subsidy funding thwarted in the House - KCUR - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Blakeman thought his matching funds were secure, then Democrats objected - Newsday - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- FEMA official who has claimed to be teleported is unfit for role, Democrats say - Mississippi Today - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Scalise on DHS Shutdown: It is a Disgrace What Democrats are Doing to Hardworking Families - Congressman Steve Scalise (.gov) - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- How Democrats win on foreign policy The US is drifting Leftward on Israel and Iran - UnHerd - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Republicans Seethe as DHS Talks Derail After Democrats Retread Their Offer - News of the United States - NOTUS - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Wheels Up for Senate Democrats Who Leave TSA and Americans Grounded - House Committee on Appropriations (.gov) - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Opinion | The Democrats Could Still Mess This Up - The New York Times - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]
- Democrats set a turnout record in Texas, so is this the year it turns blue? - NPR - March 15th, 2026 [March 15th, 2026]