A majority of Americans disapprove of the job Democrats in Congress are doing, according to a Marist/NPR/PBS News poll released Tuesday. Only 27% of registered voters approved of congressional Democrats’ performance, down from 39% in February 2024. Meanwhile, 58% disapproved of Democratic leadership in Congress, and 15% remained unsure, the survey found.
Democrats were nearly evenly divided in their views of how Democratic leaders in Congress are performing, with 44% approving and 43% disapproving, according to the poll. Among all respondents, 36%—including 73% of Republicans—approved of congressional Republicans’ performance, up from 26% earlier in 2024. Additionally, 52% disapproved of Republican leadership in Congress, while 12% were uncertain.
The Marist Poll follows a series of surveys showing that many Americans hold unfavorable views of congressional Democrats’ leadership as the 2026 midterm elections approach. The Democratic Party is actively seeking to regain control of the House of Representatives in the upcoming contests. Recent reports have also highlighted growing infighting within the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and a decline in donations over the past few months.
The survey of 1,381 adults was conducted from June 23 to June 25 by the Marist Poll, in partnership with NPR and PBS News. The results for all adults (n=1,381) have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. For registered voters (n=1,206), the margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The survey’s design effect is 1.18, which has been factored into all reported margins of error.
Among registered voters surveyed, the partisan breakdown was 35% Democratic, 34% Republican, and 29% independent.