A recent Gallup poll shows Republicans wary of the ongoing 2016 presidential primary season, with 63 percent saying that the continuing battle for the GOP nomination is hurting the party’s image.
By contrast, only 24 percent of Democrats believe the primaries are having a negative effect on their party.
“Republicans' higher level of concern about the effect of the campaign on their party may reflect the harsh personal nature of some of the Republican candidates' attacks and counterattacks, and the looming potential battles over delegates and convention procedures in Cleveland in July,” writes Gallup.
“While Donald Trump's GOP detractors may not like what the businessman's front-runner status means for their party, just over half of Republicans view him favorably, and many of these supporters may be troubled by speculation that party insiders are conspiring to deny Trump the nomination.”
Gallup argues that while Democrats have had some disputes over "superdelegates" and the primary process, neither of the Democratic presidential candidates have been as critical as the Republican contenders.
This comes as the Bernie Sanders campaign accuses rival Hillary Clinton and the DNC of violating campaign finance laws.
Gallup's poll data also shows that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to be pleased with the selection of candidates running for their respective party’s nomination.
A reported 55 percent of Democrats are “generally pleased” with their selection of candidates, in contrast with 55 percent of Republicans who “wish someone else was running.”
