WASHINGTON – Republicans entered Tuesday’s midterm elections hoping to preserve the broad coalition that helped President Donald Trump win the 2024 presidential race. But results from The AP Voter Poll indicate the GOP may have slipped among at least one important segment of the electorate.
The extensive survey of roughly 80,000 voters across all 50 states found that voters under 30 were less inclined to support Republican House candidates this year than they were to back Trump in 2024. Younger voters were also more likely than older Americans to say their House vote was intended as a rebuke to Trump. Hispanic voters, meanwhile, showed less support for Republican candidates than they had for Trump two years earlier.
For voters nationwide, the economy and the health of American democracy ranked among the most urgent concerns. The rising cost of living and worries about corruption in government also shaped decisions at the polls. The survey points to a clear demand for Congress to play a more assertive role in overseeing the presidency.
Even so, the Democrats’ edge on several major issues, including the economy and government corruption, has not translated into a major overall advantage for the party. Neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party enjoys a dramatically stronger standing among voters.
Younger and Hispanic voters show signs of pulling back from Republicans
Young Americans who moved closer to Trump during the 2024 presidential election appear to have shifted back toward Democrats in this year’s midterm contests.
According to The AP Voter Poll, approximately seven in 10 voters younger than 30 said they supported the Democratic candidate in their local House race, compared with about three in 10 who chose the Republican. That marks a notable change from 2024, when voters in the youngest age group were about evenly divided between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The political impact of that change is tempered by turnout. Voters under 30 represented only about one in 10 participants in the 2026 midterm elections, limiting the group’s overall influence on the results.
Still, the poll reflects deep frustration among younger Americans with the direction of the country and its leadership. About half said they felt “angry” about the way things were going, compared with roughly one-third of voters age 65 and older.
Republicans also appear to have surrendered some of the gains Trump made with Hispanic voters in 2024, although the movement away from the GOP was not as pronounced as it was among younger voters.
Around one-third of Hispanic voters said they voted for the Republican candidate in their local House race, down from the roughly four in 10 who supported Trump two years ago. About six in 10 Hispanic voters nationwide backed the Democratic House candidate.
Economic concerns may be central to that shift: About seven in 10 Hispanic voters said Trump’s policies have made economic conditions in the United States worse.
Trump remained a factor for many voters
Although Trump’s name did not appear on the ballot, his presidency remained a major consideration for voters choosing candidates for Congress.
About four in 10 voters said they used their congressional vote to “express opposition” to Trump. Fewer than two in 10 said they were voting to “express support” for him, while approximately four in 10 reported that the president did not influence their decision.
A majority of voters under 30 said their ballot was meant to signal opposition to Trump. Older voters, who are generally more conservative, were less likely to describe their vote as a message of disapproval toward the president.
The findings underscore widespread dissatisfaction with Trump’s performance in office. Roughly six in 10 voters said they disapproved of his handling of the presidency. A similar share believed Trump places his personal interests ahead of the country’s interests.
Voters say Congress is failing to rein in an unpopular president
The poll found broad support for stronger congressional oversight of the presidency, alongside overwhelming dissatisfaction with the way Congress is carrying out its responsibilities.
About seven in 10 voters said Congress is doing “not enough” to provide checks and balances on the president. Only around two in 10 viewed its efforts as “about the right amount,” while roughly one in 10 said lawmakers were doing “too much.” The results suggest voters want Congress to function more forcefully as an equal branch of government.
That dissatisfaction with Congress’s role wasn’t confined to Democrats, the poll found: The vast majority of independents and about 4 in 10 Republicans say Congress is not doing enough.
The survey reflects deep unhappiness with the president and Congress. About 6 in 10 voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the presidency, while about three-quarters of voters disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job.
Concerns about democracy and corruption rival the economy for voters
The economy was a clear concern for voters, who expressed alarm over the high cost of gasoline and food.
But the survey found many voters are also deeply worried about the state of democracy and government corruption.
About 4 in 10 voters say the economy is the top issue facing the country, and roughly 3 in 10 say the state of democracy is the top issue. Only about 1 in 10 say the same about immigration or healthcare, and few named foreign policy or crime.
Roughly half of U.S. voters said government corruption and the cost of living were “crucial” to their vote for Congress, higher than the share that said that about immigration enforcement policies, the war in Iran or AI data centers.
Most voters who said government corruption was “crucial” for their vote for Congress supported the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House, while about 4 in 10 said they voted for the Republican. About 8 in 10 voters who said “the state of democracy” was the top issue facing the country supported the Democrat, while about 2 in 10 supported the Republican.
Democrats have an an advantage on handling issues
Democrats have at least a small advantage in their perceived handling of several major issues, although a significant share of voters say they don’t trust either party.
Voters are slightly more likely to say Democrats would handle the economy and government corruption better than Republicans, two issues that emerged as highly important to voters in this election. Democrats also have a small edge on foreign policy and a wider advantage on their handling of transgender issues and healthcare. Voters split on which party would better handle artificial intelligence and taxes, while Republicans have a small advantage on immigration.
Despite Democrats’ relative advantage on issues, though, the Democratic Party is not much more popular with voters than the Republicans. Just under half of voters have a “somewhat” or “strongly” favorable view of the Democratic Party, while about 4 in 10 view the GOP positively.
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The AP Voter Poll is a survey of the American electorate conducted by SSRS for The Associated Press, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, FOX News Media, NBC News and Versant. The survey blends probability-based and non probability-based interviews with registered voters in all 50 states conducted from Oct. 19 to Nov. 3 in Alaska and Oct. 22 to Nov. 3 in all other states. A detailed methodology statement is available here. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 0.6 percentage points for the full sample.
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