• Analysis
AP Voter Poll 2026 Midterms: 7 in 10 Back More Congress Checks and Balances on Trump
An AP Voter Poll released Tuesday ahead of the 2026 midterms found about 70% of voters want Congress to exercise more checks and balances on Donald Trump's presidency, with roughly three-quarters saying they feel angry or dissatisfied with the country's direction.
What voters told the poll
The AP Voter Poll 2026 midterms survey, released on Tuesday, placed the appetite for congressional oversight at the centre of the electorate's thinking. About 70% of voters said they want Congress to exercise more checks and balances on Trump's presidency.
The same survey registered a bleak national mood. Roughly three-quarters of voters say they feel "angry" or "dissatisfied" with the way things are going in the country today, according to the poll.
roughly three-quarters of voters say they feel "angry" or "dissatisfied" with the way things are going in the country today
When asked to name voter priorities, about 4 in 10 respondents called the economy the most important issue facing the country. Another 3 in 10 said the state of US democracy is of primary concern, a share well above the number that rated crime or immigration as most important.
Prices blamed on Trump's policies
Cost of living remains tied directly to the president in voters' minds. About 6 in 10 voters say higher prices are "more because of Trump's policies" rather than "more because of factors outside Trump's control," the survey found.
Disapproval and the vote already cast
The poll also found roughly 6 in 10 voters deeply disapprove of Trump's presidency. More than 59 million Americans already had voted before Tuesday's Election Day.
Democrats are looking to win majorities in both the House and the Senate that would allow them to curb Trump's power, after facing little pushback from Republican majorities in both chambers.
Tight House map
The path to a House majority 2026 runs through a narrow battlefield. Republicans began the current Congress with a slim margin of 220-215, and strategists in both parties believe Democrats are on track to win the chamber.
- •Democrats are targeting more than 60 districts, including many where Trump won by double digits.
- •The last time the House flipped, in 2018, Democrats netted 40 more seats.
- •Since World War II, the House and Senate have both flipped from one party to the other in the same midterm just three times: 1946, 1994 and 2006.
The Senate math is steeper for the opposition. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 advantage, and Democrats need to net four seats to take control.
The 2026 midterm elections now under way are the next test of these findings, with Democrats seeking majorities in both chambers and Republicans holding that 53-47 Senate edge.
