As media emphasize Jan. 6, new poll reveals GOP image has recovered — but Democratic Party quickly losing ground

The Republican Party has mostly redeemed its image following the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, according to a new survey. During the same time period, the Democratic Party's image has declined.

What does the poll show?

Nearly one year after the Jan. 6 riots, a new Morning Consult/Politico poll found that voter perception of the Republican Party is headed in the right direction.

The survey discovered that among all voters — Republicans, Democrats, and independents — the GOP has regained the ground it lost following the Jan. 6 riots. In August 2020, the poll found that 69% of Republican voters and 23% of independent voters thought the Republican Party was headed in the right direction. After Jan. 6, those numbers fell to 51% of Republican voters and 15% of independent voters, respectively.

Now, 65% of Republican voters and 21% of independents believe the GOP is headed in the right direction.

The most surprising discovery from the poll is that 15% of Democratic voters believe the GOP is headed in the right direction, up from just 6% in August 2020. The poll suggests that the failures of the Democratic Party and President Joe Biden are improving the GOP's favorability among moderate Democrats.

Meanwhile, over the same period, more voters believe the Democratic Party is headed in the wrong direction. The same poll from January 2021 found that 41% of registered voters believed the Democratic Party was headed in the right direction. Now, only 34% of registered voters agree, while 54% say the party is headed in the wrong direction.

Additionally, the survey found that Democratic voters remain overwhelmingly impacted by Jan. 6.

Nearly 7 in 10 Democratic respondents in the poll said the events of Jan. 6 had a "major impact" on their worldview, compared to about one-third of independents and one-fourth of Republicans. Support for the House select committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 has decreased, the survey also found.

How are the media responding?

Despite the poll revealing the Republican Party has rebuilt its image, the media are focused on emphasizing Jan. 6 as its anniversary nears.

For example, the New York Times editorial board recently published an essay that declared, "Jan. 6 is not in the past; it is every day."

And on CNN, Brian Stelter, host of "Reliable Sources," recounted Sunday the trauma and PTSD that journalists who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6 experience because of the events that day.