Republicans in Tuesday’s midterm races were hoping their candidates could hold onto the winning coalition that President Donald Trump assembled in the 2024 presidential election, but The AP Voter Poll suggests the GOP has lost ground with at least one key group.
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GOP → hop → group
The poll, an expansive survey of about 80,000 voters in all 50 states, suggests young voters were less likely to back House Republicans this year than they were to support Trump in 2024.
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they → suggest → 2024
Young voters — those under 30 — were also more likely than older voters to say their vote for the U.S. House was cast to express opposition to Trump, and Hispanic voters were also less likely to support Republican candidates than Trump two years ago.
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voters → say → Trump
Most voters say the economy or the state of democracy is the top issue facing the country, with the cost of living and government corruption weighing heavily on many Americans’ minds as they cast a ballot in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
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they → say → elections
The poll also signals a strong desire for Congress to take a more forceful role in checking the presidency.
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Congress → signal → presidency
But the survey also found that while Democrats have at least a slight advantage on several major issues, including the economy and government corruption, the Democratic Party is not much more popular among U.S. voters than the Republican Party.
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Party → find → Party
Young voters and Hispanic voters appear to shift away from Republicans
After moving toward Trump in the 2024 election, young voters appear to have swung away from the Republican Party in this year’s midterms.
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voters → appear → midterms
The AP Voter Poll shows about 7 in 10 voters under 30 nationally say they supported the Democratic candidate in their local U.S. House race, while about 3 in 10 say they voted for the Republican.
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they → show → Republican
That’s a shift from 2024, when the youngest voters were roughly split between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
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voters → ’ → Trump
Young voters make up a fairly small share of voters.
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voters → make → voters
Only about 1 in 10 voters in the 2026 midterms are under 30, which limits the impact of the shift.
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which → limit → shift
But their displeasure with the country and its leadership is clear: About half of young voters say they are “angry” about the way things were going in the country today, compared with about one-third of voters ages 65 and older.
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things → say → voters
The survey also suggests Republicans may have lost the ground Trump gained with Hispanic voters in 2024, though to a lesser extent than with younger voters.
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Trump → suggest → voters
Only about one-third of Hispanic voters say they backed the Republican in their local U.S. House race, while roughly 4 in 10 voted for Trump two years ago.
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10 → say → Trump
About 6 in 10 Hispanic voters nationally say they voted for the Democratic candidate in their local House race.
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they → say → race
About 7 in 10 Hispanic voters say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the U.S.
Many voters were driven by opposition to Trump
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voters → say → Trump
While Trump was not on the ballot, many voters had him on their minds.
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voters → have → minds
The AP Voter Poll finds about 4 in 10 voters report wanting “to express opposition” to Trump with their vote for Congress.
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voters → find → Congress
Just under 2 in 10 voters wanted “to express support” for the president, and roughly 4 in 10 say Trump was not a factor in their decision.
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Trump → want → decision
Most young voters — those under 30 — said their vote was cast to express opposition to Trump.
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vote → say → Trump
Older voters, who tend to be more conservative in general, were less likely to say they were trying to signal their dissatisfaction with the president.
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they → tend → president
The survey highlighted voters’ unhappiness with Trump’s leadership.
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survey → highlight → leadership
About 6 in 10 disapprove of how he’s handling the presidency.
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he → disapprove → presidency
About 6 in 10 voters say Trump places a higher priority on his personal interests than the country’s interests.
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Trump → say → interests
Voters think Congress isn’t doing enough to check an unpopular president
Most voters nationally want to see Congress provide more checks and balances on the presidency, and they overwhelmingly disapprove of how Congress is handling its job.
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Congress → think → job
The survey suggests voters want to see Congress take on a stronger role as a co-equal branch of government.
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Congress → suggest → government
Roughly 7 in 10 voters say Congress is doing “not enough” to provide checks and balances on the presidency.
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Congress → say → presidency
Only about 2 in 10 say it’s doing “about the right amount,” and about 1 in 10 say Congress is doing “too much.”
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Congress → say → much
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.
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Congress → confine → enough
The survey reflects deep unhappiness with the president and Congress.
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survey → reflect → president
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.
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Congress → disapprove → 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.
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who → rival → gasoline
But the survey found many voters are also deeply worried about the state of democracy and government corruption.
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voters → find → democracy
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.
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state → say → democracy
Only about 1 in 10 say the same about immigration or healthcare, and few named foreign policy or crime.
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few → say → policy
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.
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that → say → Iran
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.
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they → say → 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.
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10 → say → 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.
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they → have → 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.
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that → say → election
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
