New poll: Do Democrats have the advantage over Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the 2026 midterms?
Do Democrats have a chance at winning the midterm elections as a result of President Donald Trump’s low approval ratings?
Democrats are clearly motivated ahead of the 2026 midterm elections despite having mixed feelings about the party’s leadership, a new CNN poll, conducted by SSRS and released Sunday, found. This comes as Trump’s approval rating remains underwater about one year into his second term in office.
Eighty percent of Democrats said they were extremely or very motivated to vote in this year’s elections, while 74% of Republicans said the same. Overall, 71% of voters said they were extremely or very motivated to vote.
The poll found that Democratic candidates have a 5-point advantage over Republicans when voters were asked which party they would support if the midterm elections were held today. When asked among those deeply motivated to vote, CNN reported that Democrats’ advantage over Republicans expanded to 16 points.
While Democrats had the edge on the generic ballot, the party’s leadership still has a low approval rating. According to the poll, just 28% of voters approved of congressional Democratic leaders. In comparison, the poll found that 35% of voters approved of congressional GOP leaders.
The poll found that about three-quarters of Republicans approved of their party’s leaders in Congress, while just 48% of Democrats felt the same of their party. Independents equally disapproved of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, with about 3 in 4 disapproving of each party.
The poll also found that voters were divided when asked whether the country would be “better off” or “worse off” if Democrats won control of Congress. Thirty-nine percent said the country would be “better off,” 37% said it would be “worse off” and 24% said there would be no change.
The poll also asked voters about Trump’s effect on the Republican Party. Overall, half of voters said he had a bad effect, 32% said he had a good effect and 18% said he hasn’t made much of a difference.
Among Republicans, 67% said Trump has had a good effect, 15% said he has had a bad effect and 18% said he hasn’t made much of a difference.
The poll was conducted among 1,209 adults between Jan. 9-12. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
