Majority Leader | Research | The Leader Board | THE NEWSR...Skip to primary navigation Skip to content×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNE×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUFacebookXInstagramFacebookXInstagramVisit Leader Thune's South Dakota Site Here THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER THUNExxsearchxMENUHomeTHE NEWSROOMThe Leader Board09.26.25The American Public Does Not Support Democrats Shutting Down the GovernmentUnpopular as Ever, Democrats Will Risk a Government Shutdown to Try to Satisfy a Small Progressive Base THE AMERICAN PEOPLE STILL THINK POORLY OF DEMOCRATS AND TRUST REPUBLICANS MORE ON KEY ISSUES“[E]veryone knows the American people -- the American people are on our side.” – Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)“The Democratic Party’s image has eroded to its lowest point in more than three decades, according to a new Wall Street Journal poll, with voters seeing Republicans as better at handling most issues that decide elections.” (The Wall Street Journal: Democrats Get Lowest Rating From Voters in 35 Years, WSJ Poll Finds – 7/25/25)“The new survey finds that 63% of voters hold an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party—the highest share in Journal polls dating to 1990 and 30 percentage points higher than the 33% who hold a favorable view.” (The Wall Street Journal: Democrats Get Lowest Rating From Voters in 35 Years, WSJ Poll Finds – 7/25/25)“A national poll taken this month by The Associated Press found that the Democratic Party had a 34% favorable rating, and 53% unfavorable. The poll found that just 69% of Democrats saw their party favorably, while 27% registered an unfavorable view. Just 19% of independents said they see the party favorably. (The GOP had a 78% favorable rating among Republicans, with 17% holding unfavorable views of their own party.)” (NBC News: Democratic anger at their own party fuels 2026 primaries – 9/25/25)“‘The Democratic brand is so bad that they don’t have the credibility to be a critic of Trump or the Republican Party,’ said John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster who worked on the Journal survey with Republican Tony Fabrizio. ‘Until they reconnect with real voters and working people on who they’re for and what their economic message is, they’re going to have problems.’” (The Wall Street Journal: Democrats Get Lowest Rating From Voters in 35 Years, WSJ Poll Finds – 7/25/25)“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.” (The Wall Street Journal: Democrats Get Lowest Rating From Voters in 35 Years, WSJ Poll Finds – 7/25/25)“Who leads on the economy? Republicans by seven. Immigration? Republicans by 13. How about crime? A big issue for Donald Trump and the Republicans. Look at that, lead by 22 points! So, the bottom line is, at this particular point, the ball may be on the ground, but the Democrats have not picked up the ball and [run] with it. If anything, at this particular point, it’s the Republicans who are running with the ball on the top issues, the economy, immigration and crime… So whatever Democrats are doing, it ain’t working.” – CNN’s Harry Enten (9/22/25)Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) still doesn’t seem to grasp this reality:MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough: “Regarding approval ratings, I asked Secretary Clinton the same question I’ll ask you: Why is it that the Democrats’ approval rating is so low?” […]Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.): “Yeah, well, I think, look, people are upset in general. They don’t like the Democrats, they don’t like the Republicans, and they don’t like Trump even more than they don’t like the Democrats. But here’s what’s really interesting, Joe.”Scarborough: “The polls don’t show that though, that’s my question.” (MSNBC: Morning Joe – 9/24/25)AMERICANS UNDERSTAND HOW HARMFUL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS ARE AND DON’T SUPPORT THEM“Democrats really don’t have enough leverage here to convince the American people that we should shut the government down.” – Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.)Americans strongly oppose government shutdowns and overwhelmingly believe they harm the country:“Plurality opposes a shutdown: 45% oppose a government shutdown, while just 26% support.”“Shutdowns are seen as harmful: 61% say shutdowns are bad for Congress’s ability to help the country succeed; only 16% view them positively.” (Americans for Prosperity/YouGov: poll – accessed 9/26/25)“It’s Republicans who are pushing a ‘clean’ seven-week continuing resolution.” (Politico: Tables turn for Democrats as they use shutdown for leverage – 9/22/25)“Democrats, meanwhile, wrote an alternative four-week punt that tacks on a laundry list of other demands.” (Politico: Tables turn for Democrats as they use shutdown for leverage – 9/22/25)“Since Congress has not yet approved appropriations for any federal departments, all would be affected.” (CNN: How federal agencies will handle a government shutdown under Trump remains to be seen – 9/23/25)Democrats “know — as we all do — the received wisdom: that the American public hates shutdowns and tends to blame whichever party failed to back a funding bill.” (Politico: Playbook: Jimmy Kimmel hits back – 9/24/25) “People tend to think these debates shouldn’t include extraneous measures — which polls during past shutdowns have repeatedly shown.” (The Washington Post: Americans are primed to blame Trump and the GOP for a shutdown. But. – 3/13/25)“But by taking that hardline approach, Democrats are also taking a major political risk.” (CNN: ‘It’s a new world with Trump’: Inside Democrats’ shutdown gamble – 9/20/25)Georgetown University political scientist Matthew Glassman pointed out that, as a political matter, government shutdowns “don’t work. There have been a handful of shutdowns longer than a day in the modern era. In none of them did the party trying to leverage the shutdown win the concessions they were seeking and, in each case, they also lost the public opinion battle.” (The New York Times: Why Democrats Should ‘Treat Trump Like a Normal, Unpopular President’ – 9/17/25)DEMOCRAT LEADERS ARE ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT APPEASING THEIR UNHAPPY PROGRESSIVE BASE“I think they think it is politically advantageous to them right now, and a benefit to their political fortunes, which are frankly in the tank at the moment. And they see this as an opportunity to be grabbed. But I think they’re wrong, and I think people are going to disagree with that.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)A recent poll found that 62% of Democrats agree with the statement “the leadership of the Democratic Party should be replaced with new people.” (Reuters: Exclusive: Democrats want new leaders, focus on pocketbook issues, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds – 6/19/25)“Chuck Schumer is losing support among a key constituency: The Democrats who want to join his caucus.” (Politico: Schumer's leadership is increasingly toxic among Senate candidates – 9/24/25)“Support for Schumer as leader is emerging as an early litmus test in contested primaries across the country as the Democratic base continues to rebel against what many view as rudderless leadership from the party locked out of power in Washington.” (Politico: Schumer's leadership is increasingly toxic among Senate candidates – 9/24/25)“The enduring opposition to Schumer’s leadership comes as he plays hardball with Republicans who are trying to ram through a seven-week funding patch to avert a government shutdown next week — a marked departure from when he joined the GOP to keep the government open in March, infuriating lawmakers and liberal groups and igniting a rebellion against his leadership.” (Politico: Schumer's leadership is increasingly toxic among Senate candidates – 9/24/25)“Party leaders and rank-and-file are publicly projecting a united front, and many Democrats are truly eager for a fight with Trump.” (CNN: ‘It’s a new world with Trump’: Inside Democrats’ shutdown gamble – 9/20/25)“Conceding on the budget battle would be out of step with a large majority of Democratic voters, who want to see more fight from their party.” (The New York Times: Op-ed: Democrats Are Picking the Wrong Shutdown Fight – 9/22/25)Above all, Democrats just want to show fight for the sake of fighting:“And what’s bothering me right now is we don’t see enough fight in this caucus.” – Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)“Every single day, there’s new evidence that our democracy is falling, and you’ve got to take stands. You have to take fights.” – Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)“There’s now a different vibe on the Democratic side, people are more focused on the urgency of the fight. Democrats are sticking together.” – Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)PrintEmailTweetNextPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER THUNEFacebookXInstagram
