CNN Poll: Republican Party favorability dips as most want party to move on from Trump

(CNN) The Republican Party will begin its time as the minority party in Washington unpopular with a public ready to move on from President Donald Trump, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS. The poll also finds that the most high-profile elected Republican who will remain in office after Trump leaves, Sen. Mitch McConnell, is viewed more negatively than ever before.

The public overwhelmingly wants to see the Republican Party move on from Trump once he's left office. Overall, just 19% say the party ought to continue to treat Trump as its leader, while 77% say it should move on. Among Republicans, views are split, with 48% saying the party should move on and 47% saying the party should continue to treat Trump as the leader of the party. Independents who lean toward the Republican Party, however, are much more likely to say the party should move on from Trump (62% feel that way).

And after months of the Trump campaign and conservative media sowing doubts about the results of the 2020 presidential election, self-identified Republicans are less likely to have confidence in American elections than are Democrats, which could complicate GOP efforts to get those voters to the polls in future contests. There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Yet 75% of Republicans say they have little or no confidence that elections in America today reflect the will of the people, including a majority (57%) who say they are not at all confident that election results represent the will of the people.

The Republican Party's favorability rating has taken a 9-point hit since before Election Day, with just 32% viewing it favorably. That shift rests mostly on a decline in positive views among Republicans themselves: 92% had a positive take in October, just 76% do now.

The drop in positive sentiment toward the GOP comes as opinions of Trump have also shifted negative. The President will leave office this week with the lowest approval rating of his term, while most would prefer him to be removed from office before January 20, and a majority describe his time in office as a failure.