The Slatest

The GOP’s Favorability Rating Is Now the Lowest It’s Ever Been

Gallup is out with the latest polling data highlighting just how bad the government shutdown is hurting the GOP’s current image (regardless if they’re willing to acknowledge it or not): The Republican Party is now viewed favorably by only 28 percent of Americans, down a full ten points since the pollsters surveyed Americans last month and the lowest favorable rating measured for either party since Gallup began asking the question more than two decades ago. Democrats, of course, aren’t exactly being showered with applause either—they’re down four points from last month—but still sit a full 15 points above their colleagues across the aisle.

When Gallup flipped the question around things didn’t get noticeably better for Republicans, with more than 6 in 10 Americans saying they view the GOP unfavorably, also an all-time high for either party. Just less than half of respondents said the same thing about Democrats. Although, as you can see from the chart below, Democrats have enjoyed similar net-leads in the past only to see the gaps close in time.

The current favorable-unfavorable splits aren’t exactly a surprise, but the charts nonetheless provide a reminder that there was a time in our not-too-distant past where the majority of Americans had warm feelings toward both parties at the same time.

***Follow @JoshVoorhees and the rest of the @slatest team on Twitter.***

Read the rest of Slate’s coverage of the government shutdown.