Americans are fed up with the Republican Party, according to a new poll.
Polls have already shown the Republicans trailing the Democrats ahead of the midterm elections amid Trump’s record low approval ratings and concerns about the economy and the war in Iran.
But a new CNN/SSRS poll, conducted between May 7 and 31 among 2,480 adults, shows Republicans are facing growing political headwinds ahead of the November elections, with fewer voters identifying as Republicans.
The survey found that among registered voters, Democrats now hold a slight advantage over Republicans, with 31 percent identifying as Democrats compared to 28 percent who identify as Republicans. Another 41 percent say they do not identify with either major party.
That marks a notable reversal from 2024, when Republicans held a three-point advantage in party identification among registered voters. At that time, 34 percent identified as Republicans, 31 percent as Democrats, and 35 percent said they belonged to neither party.
The shift is also visible across the broader population. Among all Americans, 27 percent now identify as Democrats and 26 percent as Republicans. In 2024, Republicans held a narrow edge, with 30 percent identifying as Republicans and 29 percent as Democrats.
Particularly concerning for Republicans is movement among several demographic groups that helped fuel Trump’s 2024 victory. Younger voters, men, and white voters without college degrees have all become less likely to identify with the GOP.
Among voters younger than 45, Republican identification has dropped sharply from 26 percent in 2024 to just 17 percent today.
Among male voters aged 18 to 44, Republican identification has fallen from 27 percent in 2024 to 15 percent today.
White voters without college degrees—another key Republican constituency—have also become less likely to identify as Republicans. GOP identification among this group has declined from 49 percent in 2024 to 41 percent in the new poll.
Asked for comment on the new poll, White House spokesman Davis Ingle recycled a favorite statement, telling the Daily Beast: “The ultimate poll was November 5th 2024 when nearly 80 million Americans overwhelmingly elected President Trump to deliver on his popular and commonsense agenda.
“No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more. The President has already made historic progress not only in America but around the world, and this is just the beginning as his agenda continues taking effect.”
While some voters may be deserting the Republican Party, the data suggest these voters are not necessarily moving toward the Democratic Party. Instead, many appear to be abandoning partisan labels altogether and identifying as independents.
Among men aged 18 to 44, Democratic identification remained unchanged at 29 percent between 2024 and 2026, even as Republican identification fell sharply. The biggest shift came among independents, whose share rose from 45 percent in 2024 to 56 percent in the new poll.
A similar pattern emerged among voters younger than 45 overall. While Republican identification declined substantially, the share identifying as Democrats held relatively steady at 33 percent. Meanwhile, half of voters under 45 now say they identify with neither major party.
White voters without a college degree also showed signs of moving away from the GOP without embracing Democrats.
Democratic identification within the group remained unchanged at 18 percent between 2024 and 2026, while the share identifying as independents increased from 33 percent to 41 percent.
The rise in independent voters has been building for years. CNN polling shows that 47 percent of Americans now identify as independents, up about 10 points from just after Trump’s first term and close to the modern high of 48 percent recorded in 2015.
Even so, the country remains closely divided politically.
Neither party has held a clear advantage in CNN’s polling since 2021, when Democrats led Republicans by six points. Since then, the gap between the two parties has been just about one point each year.
That means the midterms could be anyone’s to win.
But some Republicans are not optimistic about their chances.
“It’s true, you can take out Republicans in primaries, but Republicans are going to be very vulnerable this fall,” Rep. Thomas Massie, who has been one of Trump’s biggest opponents in the party and lost his own primary against a Trump-backed candidate in Kentucky, told NBC News this month.
