Following Kirk’s assassination, Republicans sour on direction of the country, new AP-NORC poll finds
September 19, 2025
A new poll shows Republicans’ outlook on the direction of the country has soured dramatically. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll was conducted shortly after last week’s assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah. The poll shows the share of Republicans who see the country headed in the right direction has fallen sharply in recent months. Today, only about half in the GOP see the nation on the right course, down from 70% in June. Overall, about one-quarter of Americans say things in the country are headed in the right direction, down from about 4 in 10 in June. Democrats and independents didn’t shift meaningfully.
