Nearly 70 percent of voters in battleground districts see congressional Democrats as out of touch, prioritizing political correctness over real issues, according to a poll released Tuesday.
Only 39 percent of voters believe Democrats have the right priorities, while 69 percent say Democrats are “too focused on being politically correct,” a poll by the Democratic group Navigator Research found. The survey, conducted in 62 swing districts, also showed that more than half of voters think the Democratic Party is “elitist” and does not share their values.
The findings come as Democrats still struggle to regain their footing nearly two months into President Donald Trump’s second term. House Democrats are set to hear from one of the poll’s researchers at a Wednesday conference as they work to rebuild the party’s image ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Politico reported.
“The Democratic brand is still not where it needs to be in terms of core trust and understanding people’s challenges,” said Molly Murphy, a Democratic strategist who worked on the Tuesday poll, adding that “criticism of Trump doesn’t translate into trust in Democrats.”
While the Democratic Party has long sought to brand itself as the working-class party, for example, less than 40 percent of those polled think the party truly values work, with 56 percent saying Democrats are not looking out for working people.
Murphy acknowledged the disconnect, saying, “How can you care about working people if you don’t care about work? It’s going to be really hard in the midterms if voters don’t think we care about work.”
Democrats also trail Republicans on the economy, 41 percent to 46 percent, according to the poll. Only 27 percent of independents, meanwhile, think Democrats prioritize people like them, while 55 percent say the party is more focused on others.
