Democrats in Congress Sink to Historic Low

Very shortly expect them to enter severe panic mode.

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic Party's favorability rating dropped to an all-time low of 41 percent in the Gallup poll -- the latest worrisome indicator in an election cycle that has the party sweating.

The rating is a percentage point below the Republican Party's score, which has climbed over the last year as the GOP dug in its heels against President Obama's agenda.

The Democrats' bad numbers are five points below the party's worst previous favorability rating, recorded in 2005, and represents the worst rating in 18 years of surveys.

The poll comes after a separate survey last week showed Republicans passing Democrats on the "generic" ballot test, where Americans state the party of the candidate they plan to vote for in their congressional districts -- a rarity in the poll's 60-year history.