Last October, 37 percent of Americans viewed the Republican Party favorably, while 58 percent viewed it unfavorably. At the time everyone agreed those numbers were alarming, but there was a still a year before the election to turn them around.
Today, PEW Research released their new numbers which show only 33 percent of the American public have a favorable impression of the Republican Party, and 62 percent now have an unfavorable view. That’s the highest unfavorable rating of the GOP since 1992, when the country was in a recession and President George Bush was on his way to defeat.
The especially bad news for Republicans is that the decline has largely come from Republicans themselves. Last fall 79 percent of Republicans could look in the mirror and have a favorable view of what they saw. Today the number is 68 percent — an 11 point drop as Donald Trump nears clinching the presidential nomination.
The numbers for Democrats aren’t great, but they are steady. Currently, 45 percent of Americans have a favorable impression of the Democratic Party, while 50% have an unfavorable opinion. Those numbers are unchanged from October.
When you start thinking about battleground states, today only 28 percent of independents view the Republican Party favorably. That compares to 37 percent favorable for the Democratic Party.
Most demographics in the country now favor Democrats over Republicans, but what is especially a warning bell for the GOP is that 52 percent of those Americans age 18 to 35 now have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while only 35 percent have a favorable view of the Republican Party.
When you consider Donald Trump’s position on immigration and Mexico, it’s worth noting 56 percent of Hispanics have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, while 61 percent have an unfavorable view of Republicans. That could be key this fall in states like Arizona, Colorado and Nevada where the Hispanic population has grown.
Is there any good news for the GOP in today’s data?
If you examine the chart on the left it becomes clear the answer is no.
Even among white voters the Republican Party struggles. In fact, only 27 percent of college educated white voters have a favorable view of the GOP.
It’s becoming clear that Republicans will be hoping for an extremely low voter turnout come November.
Perhaps this data is also the reason we have seen Republican governors and legislatures across the country attempting to roll back early voting opportunities.
One thing is certain: With Donald Trump at the helm, it doesn’t appear a makeover for the GOP is going to happen anytime soon.