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Poll finds voters favor Democratic congressional candidates ahead of midterms

NPR reports that a Strength In Numbers/Verasight survey of 2,028 voters from Oct. 13-19 shows Democrats leading and Trump's approval at 34%.

Updated Oct 21, 2026 · 20:56 UTC1 reports

The short version

NPR reports that registered voters prefer Democratic congressional candidates 52% to 41% in a Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll.[NPR]
Likely voters favor Democrats 54% to 42%, and 58% prioritize a Congress that checks Trump.[NPR]
Trump's job approval stands at 34%, with 62% disapproving; prices and inflation rank as the top concern.[NPR]
Findings reflect one survey of 2,028 respondents with a 2.2-point sampling margin of error.[NPR]

A Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll of 2,028 respondents was conducted October 13-19 with a margin of sampling error of 2.2 percentage points.[NPR]
Registered voters prefer electing a Democrat to Congress over a Republican by 52% to 41%, and likely voters by 54% to 42%.[NPR]
President Trump's job approval is 34%, with 62% disapproving and 50% strongly disapproving.[NPR]
Prices and inflation were listed as a top-three problem by 63% of respondents, with 39% ranking it first.[NPR]
Nearly one in 10 people who said they voted in the 2024 presidential race regret their choice, including almost 15% of self-described Trump voters.[NPR]
Only 25% of respondents said electing a Congress to help Trump pass his agenda was more important, compared with 58% who prioritized a Congress to act as a check on Trump.[NPR]

The findings come from a single survey with a 2.2-point margin of sampling error, and no other outlet's reporting is provided to corroborate them.[NPR]
How these stated preferences will translate into votes in the midterm elections is unknown.[NPR]

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