Polls Show Shutdown Backfired

Voters Say the Shutdown Wasn’t Worth It

In this past Friday’s WG Discussion Points, David Winston of The Winston Group walked through the political fallout from the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history — and the numbers show voters overwhelmingly disapproved. In the new Winning the Issues polling (November 15–17), 67% of voters said the shutdown wasn’t worth it, while just 17% said it was. Even among Democrats, support barely registered: only 17% of liberal Democrats and 14% of Democrats overall said the shutdown was worth it.

A CBS poll from November 13–14 echoed those findings, with 55% saying Republicans got more of what they wanted, compared to just 6% who said Democrats did.

Both Parties’ Brand Images Slip — Most Sharply with Independents

The shutdown also hit both parties’ reputations on Capitol Hill. Congressional Democrats’ favorable–unfavorable rating dropped from 41–51 in August to 36–58, while Republicans dipped from 39–56 to 37–58.

Independents — who have little patience for partisan gridlock — reacted even more negatively. The GOP fell from 31–62 to 25–68, and Democrats from 30–60 to 23–68.

Kitchen-Table Issues Still Drive Elections

Winston emphasized that while Democrats took the larger political hit, the recent Virginia and New Jersey elections reaffirmed that kitchen-table concerns remain voters’ top priority.

Inflation continues to dominate: 57% believe it’s getting worse, compared to only 20% who say it’s improving. Since the 2024 election, Republicans have lost their former double-digit leads on inflation and economic issue handling — slipping from +12 to -3 on inflation and +11 to -3 on the economy.

A Reset Ahead of 2026

With the White House now centering its message on cost-of-living pressures — echoing the Democrats’ 2006 “middle-class squeeze” strategy — Republicans face a clear next step: get back to an economic agenda after a 43-day shutdown that threw Washington off course.