Unified Republican Control Faces Public Skepticism, While Third-Party Support Rises Amid Discontent
A new CNN poll conducted by SSRS reveals a complex and evolving landscape of American public opinion, with a notable shift in sentiment regarding Republican control of all three branches of government and a growing appetite for a new third political party.
The survey, conducted July 10-13, 2025, among 1,057 U.S. adults, carries a margin of sampling error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.
Despite Republicans currently holding the presidency, Senate, and House of Representatives, a majority of Americans, 57%, believe this unified control is “bad for the country.” Only 42% see it as “good for the country.” This sentiment marks a slight increase in negative perception compared to April 2025, when 58% viewed it negatively. Looking further back, in January 2025, 47% thought it would be good for the country, indicating a decline in optimism about Republican trifecta control over the past year.
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When Democrats last held unified control in January 2021, 53% of Americans viewed it as “good for the country,” while 43% saw it as “bad.” This suggests a notable partisan difference in how unified government is perceived by the public, depending on which party is in power.
Both major political parties face a public grappling with mixed and often unfavorable opinions.
The Democratic Party currently holds a 28% favorable opinion among Americans, while 54% view it unfavorably. This marks a slight dip from March 2025 (29% favorable) and a more significant decline from January 2021, when the party enjoyed a 49% favorable rating.
The Republican Party fares slightly better in favorability but still faces a majority of negative views, with 33% holding a favorable opinion and 51% an unfavorable one. Similar to the Democrats, the Republican Party’s favorability has seen fluctuations, with a 32% favorable rating in January 2021.
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Tech mogul Elon Musk has seen a significant drop in public opinion. Only 23% of Americans now hold a favorable view of Musk, a sharp decline from 35% in March 2025. Conversely, his unfavorable rating has risen to 60% from 53% in March.
A striking 63% of Americans favor having a new third political party that would challenge both Republican and Democratic candidates for president, Congress, and state offices. This sentiment remains largely consistent with a February 2010 poll, where 64% favored such a party.
However, the idea of Elon Musk founding a new third party garners significantly less support, with only 25% favoring the idea and a substantial 74% opposing it.
When presented with the choice, 24% of respondents would support a third party regardless of who founds it, while 38% would only support a third party if it was not founded by Elon Musk. A mere 1% would support a third party only if founded by Musk.
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Despite the desire for a third party, the public’s views on reelecting incumbent members of Congress are mixed. 51% of Americans believe their own U.S. representative deserves reelection, while 48% think they do not. This personal assessment is more positive than the general outlook for party-aligned members: 41% believe most Democratic members of Congress deserve reelection, compared to 58% who do not. Similarly, 40% think most Republican members of Congress deserve reelection, versus 60% who disagree.
Looking ahead to next year’s congressional elections, 80% of registered voters report being extremely or very motivated to cast their ballots. This high level of motivation is on par with, or even slightly higher than, motivation levels observed for presidential elections in late 2023 and early 2024.
The poll also explored aspects of Donald Trump’s continued influence. 37% of all respondents consider themselves a political supporter of Donald Trump. This figure rises to 81% among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.
While Trump maintains a dedicated base of political support, his branded products and properties have a more limited consumer reach.
Only 10% of Americans report having purchased a Trump-branded product in the last ten years, and a mere 3% have stayed in a Trump-branded hotel or resort during the same period. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, these numbers are 20% for product purchases and 4% for hotel stays.
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