August 1, 2025
⏰ Tick Tock
Days to Utah's 2025 municipal primary elections (8/12/2025) - 11
Days until Election Day (11/4/2025) - 95
Days until the 2026 midterm elections (11/3/2026) - 461
Days until the 2028 presidential election (11/7/2028) - 1,194
Democratic paradox: Support rises as image falls
Democrats are winning the numbers game but losing the popularity contest. For the first time in nearly two years, more Americans are aligning with the Democratic Party than the Republicans—yet the Democrats' public image has plummeted to its lowest point in over three decades.
Gallup reports that 46% of Americans either say they’re Democrats or lean toward the Democratic Party, while 43% say they are Republicans. That’s a shift as the GOP has either been tied with Democrats or had a lead in party identification since 2023.
The shift comes primarily from independent voters swinging toward the Democrats, rather than any surge in card-carrying party members.
At the same time, just 34% of Americans have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, the lowest that Gallup has measured since 1992. The prior low was 36% in 2014.
Republicans aren’t faring much better. 38% of Americans view the Republican Party positively, down from 44% in November.
The Democratic Party’s image woes partly stem from Democratic identifiers’ historically low favorable rating of their own party. Seventy-three percent of Democrats now have a positive opinion of the party. This is down sharply from 87% in the prior reading in November and contrasts with a 91% favorable rating of the Republican Party among Republican identifiers.
Friday morning's headlines
Utah and the West
As water levels dwindle, Utah Legislature might address Great Salt Lake during a special session. [Utah News Dispatch]
Lt. Gov.'s Office releases DOJ letter requesting voter information, Utah response. [KUTV]
Utah governor declares state of emergency over escalating wildfires. [KSL]
A Utah progressive group mentioned a GOP lawmaker in its fundraising. He sent a legal threat. [Salt Lake Tribune]
How Trump's push to reverse EPA pollution rules could impact Utah. [KUER]
A license just to enjoy public lands? After stunning Utahns, lawmakers want to rework new law. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Utah court upholds dismissal of lawsuit on Salt Lake City's handling of homelessness. [KSL]
Now Park City Mountain's summer workers want to form a union. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Nation
President Donald Trump's PAC is sitting on a massive $200 million political war chest. [New York Times]
The federal government is paying more than 154,000 federal employees not to work as part of President Trump's downsizing measures. [Washington Post]
The Pentagon scheduled its first major test of the multibillion dollar Golden Dome missile defense system for just before the 2028 election. [CNN]
World
President Trump signed executive orders on Thursday imposing tariffs of between 15 and 41 percent on goods shipped to the U.S. The tariffs won't go into effect until August 7. [Politico]
Trump raised tariffs on Canada to 35%. [Bloomberg]
Switzerland is in "shock" over the 39% tariffs imposed by President Trump. [Financial Times]
El Salvador approved constitutional changes extending the presidential term to six years and allowing indefinite elections. [Associated Press]
Economy
The U.S. added just 73,000 jobs in July, below estimates. Unemployment rose to 4.2%. [CNBC]
Hedge funds are dumping U.S. stocks because of worries about President Trump's tariffs. [Bloomberg]
The dollar is down about 8% this year against other currencies, revealing investor unease about the U.S. economy. [Reuters]
Health
Childhood vaccination rates dropped again this year. [New York Times]
Human trials point to a possible mRNA vaccine against HIV. [New Scientist]