Poll: Democrats maintain an edge in the fight for Congress as Trump gets poor marks [View all]

President Donald Trump’s poor approval rating continues to weigh down his party ahead of the midterms — though the GOP has a slim measure of separation from the president, with Democrats holding a 5-point lead in the battle for control of Congress, according to a new national NBC News poll.

The poll — which was sponsored by More Perfect, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to advancing democracy — found 49% of registered voters say they prefer to see Democrats control Congress as a result of this year’s elections, compared to 44% who prefer Republican control and 7% who are unsure.

Independents lean toward Democrats by a 12-point margin, 46%-34%, as do majorities of Black and Latino voters, voters under 50 years old and those with a college degree. Republicans still have an edge among men, white voters and those without a college education.

That 5-point Democratic lead on the generic ballot is essentially even with the NBC News poll conducted in March, when Democrats had a 6-point lead. Looking at similar points in previous midterm election cycles, both parties were tied on the generic ballot in the May 2022 NBC News poll, while Democrats had a 10-point lead in the June 2018 NBC News poll.



https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/poll-democrats-maintain-edge-fight-congress-trump-gets-poor-marks-rcna348913