Both Republicans and Democrats believe that their political opponents are winning when it comes to the important issues
Nearly three quarters of Americans – 72% – believe their political side is losing more often than it is winning on the issues that are important to them, according to a Pew Research poll published on Monday. Less than a quarter – 24% – think their camp is prevailing more often than not.
Of the two ‘sides,’ the Right has lost the most confidence in its political heft – 81% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said they feel their side loses more often than it wins, compared to just 29% who held that view in February 2020, when former President Donald Trump was still in office.
But while Republicans can blame their pessimism on the loss of the presidency and nearly the Senate during the last election, the reason for the Democrats’ malaise – fully two thirds (66%) of party voters and Democrat-leaning independents believe their side is defeated more often than it wins – is less obvious. Exit polls for 2020 revealed that most Biden supporters voted against Donald Trump, rather than for him, possibly making them less invested. The figure dropped from the high of 88% who believed they had lost during Trump’s years.
Polled, moderate Democrats were most likely to feel they won, at 34%, as compared to 29%, 21%, and 15% respectively for liberals, moderate Republicans, or 29%, for the other groups.
That same poll which was done under the presidency of Barack Obama three times, twice under Trump and once again under Biden revealed that more Americans feel their side is winning (41%) in February 2020 than in any other six-year period. Monday’s poll represented the most pessimistic moment during that period.
Another recent poll revealed just how unenthusiastic both Republicans and Democrats are about their parties’ potential nominees for the 2024 presidential election – Trump and Biden, respectively. Over two-thirds wanted Biden to retire. More than half of those polled felt the same way about Trump. However, their motivations varied depending upon their political affiliation. A hypothetical matchup between the unpopular septuagenarians would see Trump narrowly edge out Biden, but pollster Mark Penn, who conducted last month’s survey, suggested there would be a “virtual voter revolt” in the event of a 2020 rematch.
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