Favorable rating of Democratic Party hits its lowest mark in 18 years

The American public's favorable rating of the Democratic Party is in steady decline, while favorable rating of the Republican Party continues to improve, as measured by Gallup:

Americans' favorable rating of the Democratic Party dropped to 41% in a late March USA Today/Gallup poll, the lowest point in the 18-year history of this measure. Favorable impressions of the Republican Party are now at 42%, thus closing the gap between the two parties' images that has prevailed for the past four years.