NEW YORK (AP) — Six months after

Donald Trump’s presidential victory

, Democrats continue to feel highly skeptical about the prospects for their party, even though neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party garners favorable views from more than half of American adults.

A recent survey carried out at the start of this month by

The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research

discovered that merely around one-third of Democrats express strong optimism, either “very” or “somewhat,” regarding their party’s prospects. This marks a significant decline from July 2024, where approximately 6 out of every 10 Democrats reported feeling positively about the situation.

I’m not particularly impressed with Democrats at the moment,” stated poll participant Damien Williams, a 48-year-old Democrat from Cahokia Heights, Illinois. “In my view, they’re not doing sufficiently to counter Trump.

The poll comes at a critical moment for the Democratic Party, which is desperately seeking momentum after

losing the White House and both chambers of Congress

in last fall’s general election. In the survey, Democrats offer mixed reviews for some of their party’s best-known elected officials — including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both of New York — while reporting significant concerns about how leaders are chosen in the U.S. political system.

Williams, who belongs to the Teamsters union, mentioned that he probably won’t have a favorable opinion of his party until “someone emerges as a leader capable of bringing about positive change—an individual similar to Obama.”

Republicans, meanwhile, are slightly more optimistic about the future of the GOP than they were last year.

The survey indicates that roughly half of Republicans, specifically 55%, express being quite or moderately hopeful regarding their party’s prospects, an increase from 47% recorded last summer. Nevertheless, merely around 3 out of every 10 Republicans show optimism towards the current condition of American politics, which has risen from approximately 1 in 10 since last summer.

Patrick Reynolds, a 50-year-old GOP community organizer and minister hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, expresses mixed emotions regarding Trump’s leadership and the direction of his political party.

He is concerned that numerous Republicans in Congress are aligning themselves with the Republican president and his primary collaborator and advisor, Elon Musk, who has been leading Trump’s initiative.

slash the size of the federal government

. Reynolds also says he’s concerned that

Trump’s aggressive moves to combat illegal immigration

could potentially be infringing upon the Constitution.

How can we claim to support the rule of law when we’re disregarding constitutional principles?” Reynolds asked. “I believe this could lead to political repercussions.

At present, neither of the political parties enjoys significant popularity.

In total, approximately 4 out of every 10 American adults hold a favorable opinion of the Republican Party, whereas roughly one-third express a positive view of the Democratic Party.

This fairly limited backing encompasses several high-profile figures from both parties.

Approximately four out of every ten Americans hold a positive opinion of Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who has made two attempts at securing the Democratic presidential nomination and has recently traveled across the country to rally support against Trump. Among those identifying as Democrats, roughly three-fourths have a favorable stance toward Sanders.

Approximately half of Democrats hold a positive view of Ocasio-Cortez, who has teamed up with Sanders for the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. However, she is not as widely admired among all American adults; roughly three out of every ten people have a favorable impression of the 35-year-old congresswoman, who has been speculated about as a possible contender for the presidency in 2028.

Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, is less popular than Sanders or Ocasio-Cortez.

Just about one-third of Democrats have a somewhat or very favorable view of the 74-year-old senator, who took a hit from many liberals for

agreeing to a funding bill led by Republicans

This allowed the government to remain operational. Since December 2024, the percentage of Democrats with a positive opinion of Schumer has dropped; back then, roughly half viewed him as somewhat or very favorably. Currently, only 21% of all adults hold a favorable stance towards him.

I simply believe that most of the traditional Democratic Party should step aside,” stated Democrat Monica Brown, a 61-year-old social worker from Knoxville, Tennessee. “They fail to connect with the younger generation and do not align with current global changes. There’s significant discord within our party.

Among Republican candidates, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who previously served as a senator from Florida, enjoys greater popularity compared to many other well-known members of his party.

Approximately six out of every ten Republicans hold a favorable view of Marco Rubio; however, this percentage drops to about one-third when considering all adults. Around half of Republican respondents express a positive impression of House Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana, whereas only approximately one-quarter of all U.S. adults share this sentiment. The approval rating for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—a former host on the Fox News Channel—stands similarly at 44% among Republicans and roughly one-quarter across the nation as a whole.

More than half of Democrats—specifically 55%—are not only skeptical about their party’s future but also critical of how leadership is determined in the U.S. This sentiment has seen a minor rise since last summer when President Joe Biden was residing at the White House, then recorded at 46%.

Linda Sleet, a 69-year-old retired resident from Venice, Florida, expressed particular worries regarding how congressional district boundaries are established and the use of the Electoral College for selecting presidents rather than relying solely on the popular vote.

I lack faith in the system,” Sleet stated. “It had its uses long ago, but that’s no longer true.

Williams, the Teamster from Illinois, said he’s unhappy with just about everything to do with U.S. politics.

“I’m going to need to see some wins for America, for humanity, before I can be optimistic right now,” he said. “Every day is just a constant barrage of negative feelings and news politically. It’s all screwed up right now.”

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Sanders reported from Washington.

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The AP-NORC poll of 1,175 adults was conducted May 1-5, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.