Democrats lead Republicans in new congressional preference poll, survey shows

The short version

• A new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows 53% of registered voters favor Democratic congressional candidates compared to 41% who prefer Republicans.[PBS NewsHour]
• President Donald Trump's job approval rating sits at 39%, with 53% of voters strongly disapproving of his performance.[PBS NewsHour]
• Forty-five percent of registered voters indicate their midterm vote will primarily express opposition to President Trump.[PBS NewsHour]

Key facts

• Fifty-three percent of registered voters say they would vote for Democratic candidates, while 41 percent prefer Republicans.[PBS NewsHour · NPR]
• President Donald Trump's job approval rating is at 39 percent, with 59 percent disapproving overall.[PBS NewsHour · NPR]
• Fifty-three percent of voters strongly disapprove of Trump's performance, marking the highest share recorded by Marist across both of his presidential terms.[PBS NewsHour · NPR]
• Forty-five percent of registered voters and 54 percent of independents report their vote is mostly to express opposition to Trump.[PBS NewsHour · NPR]
• The poll of 1,280 respondents was conducted September 14 to 15 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.[NPR]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Democrats lead in new poll as Trump looms over midtermsPBS NewsHour - Politics
• Poll: Most voters agree the 2026 midterms are all about Trump — and they disapproveNPR - Top News