New NPR/PBS/Marist poll shows Democrats with big midterm lead as Trump's unpopularity deepens
Registered voters back Democrats 53%-41% for Congress, with Trump's disapproval at levels not seen since the Jan. 6 aftermath.
Part of a larger narrative
Trump's 2024 Approval Crisis
- Trump approval hits career-low 32% as Republicans sour on cost of living
- NBC poll: more Democrats say they'll vote in person amid Trump mail-ballot attacks
- New NPR/PBS/Marist poll shows Democrats with big midterm lead as Trump's unpopularity deepensyou are here
- Rural voters face backlash against Trump policies weeks before midterms
- Fox News's own poll finds 63% say Trump made the economy worse
What to know
- PBS News/NPR/Marist poll: Democrats lead Republicans 53%-41% among registered voters for Congress; independents favor Democrats by 25 points.
- Trump's approval sits at 39%-59% disapprove, with 53% strongly disapproving — the highest strong-disapproval share Marist has recorded in either of his terms, comparable to post-Jan. 6 sentiment.
- 45% of voters (54% of independents) say their vote is mainly to oppose Trump, versus just 24% (12% of independents) voting to support him, suggesting his strategy of nationalizing the midterms around himself may be backfiring.
- Nearly one in five members of the current Congress will not return next term amid record retirements and 13 primary defeats, per NPR's analysis.
“There's a lot of grumbling in the electorate and a lot of sentiment for changing things around.”
Lee Miringoff, Director, Marist Institute for Public Opinion · PBS NewsHour ↗ · Sep 22
Donald Trump U.S. President
Mike Johnson House SpeakerLee Miringoff Director, Marist Institute for Public OpinionJoel Payne Democratic strategist
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Democratic strategist calls independents' anti-Trump motivation 'devastating'
Democratic strategist Joel Payne says the strength of independent voters' motivation to vote against Trump is unusually significant for the party's prospects.
“That's devastating…”
— Joel Payne -
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A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds President Trump — and his unpopularity — is an outsize factor in why most voters say they want Democrats to win the midterms.
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Independents approve of Trump at 23 percent, disapprove at 72. Under-30 voters are at 26 approve, 71 disapprove. Democrats lead all nine Senate battlegrounds and lead the generic ballot by 8 points, territory that produced 31 and 41 seat wipeouts in 2006 and 2018. This is a collapse, not a slump. Trump’s Popularity Is Circling...
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NEW: President Trump's efforts to make the midterm elections a referendum on his presidency appear to be backfiring as Democratic congressional candidates hold a significant lead over Republicans in the latest poll from PBS News, NPR and Marist.
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background
Poll shows Trump approval frozen at 39%, disapproval at highest since Jan. 6 — The same survey shows 39% approve and 59% disapprove of Trump's job performance, with 53% strongly disapproving — the highest share Marist has recorded across either Trump term and on par with sentiment after the January 6 Capitol attack; 45% of voters and 54% of independents say their vote is mainly meant to oppose Trump, versus 24% and 12% motivated to support him.
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PBS News/NPR/Marist poll gives Democrats a 12-point lead in midterm ballot
The poll finds 53% of registered voters would back Democratic congressional candidates versus 41% for Republicans, with independents favoring Democrats by 25 points; about 7 in 10 voters say Trump is a factor in their vote.
“The Democrats are sitting in a very good place. There's a lot of grumbling in the electorate and a lot of sentiment for changing things around.”
— Lee Miringoff -
first by washingtonpost.com, 7h ago · also Washington Post
1 more headline
- Many voters see midterms as vote against Trump, new poll finds usatoday.com · 7h ago
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first by PBS NewsHour, 18h ago
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- Democrats hold midterm lead with independents breaking sharply against Trump PBS NewsHour · 11h ago
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- 2 days quiet
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Opinion column argues Trump's political position is collapsing
An NJ.com opinion piece cites new polls showing Democrats opening a significant midterm advantage as Trump's approval sinks, and notes House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly does not want the GOP to vote on Hegseth or Epstein-related matters; two commentators debate whether the shift is temporary backlash or a lasting realignment.
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first by PBS NewsHour, 4h ago
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first by NJ.com, 3d ago
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Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by NPR, 11h ago · also NPR News
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What people are saying 1 voices from 1 site · best of 4 · verbatim
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New @npr.org/PBS News/Marist poll of *registered voters* - By a 12-point margin (53-41) they'd prefer to elect a Democrat to Congress over a Republican. - Voters say D's better than R's on gas prices, economy –– even immigration. Trump is a big factor: