Democrats win sweeping midterm victories as voters turn against Trump and Republicans

Democrats scored major gains in a historic midterm election, taking control of both chambers of Congress amid widespread frustration over the economy, government corruption, the war in Iran and President Donald Trump’s performance in office. The party’s wins included Senate seats in states that have traditionally favored Republicans.

As of publication, Democrats had a 54-seat Senate majority and had won 228 House seats. Alaska’s Senate race remained too close to call.

The results marked a sharp shift from the rightward movement in the 2024 election. Voters remained divided along familiar lines: urban and suburban residents, women and Hispanic voters leaned Democratic, while rural voters, men and people without college degrees tended to support Republicans. But several groups that helped Trump win in 2024—including rural, Hispanic, younger and independent voters—moved toward Democrats this time.

Rural voters had backed Trump by 28 points in 2024. In this year’s House races, Republican candidates led among them by 18 points, a 10-point reduction. The shift was especially pronounced among rural women: Republicans’ 21-point advantage with that group in 2024 narrowed to 8 points.

Suburban women moved in the other direction. After backing Kamala Harris by 14 points in 2024, they supported Democratic House candidates by 24 points.

Hispanic voters also swung toward Democrats. They backed Democratic House candidates by 27 points, compared with a 12-point margin for Harris in 2024. Hispanic men accounted for much of the change, shifting from a narrow, 2-point preference for Harris to a 15-point margin for Democratic candidates.

Voters under 30, who narrowly supported Harris by 4 points in 2024, backed Democratic House candidates by nearly three to one. Young men saw an especially dramatic reversal: their 15-point preference for Trump in 2024 became a 33-point advantage for Democratic candidates, a 48-point swing.

Party loyalty was broadly similar among Democrats and Republicans, though Republicans saw somewhat more defections. Independents were a bigger factor in the Democratic gains: they favored Democratic House candidates by 22 points, compared with a 6-point margin for Harris in 2024.

Republicans also remained divided between MAGA and non-MAGA voters. A narrow majority of Republicans, 54%, identified as MAGA and nearly all of them voted Republican. Among Republicans who did not identify as MAGA, 85% supported their party’s candidates.

Voter frustration and Trump’s standing

Discontent ran through the election. Three-quarters of voters said they were dissatisfied or angry about the direction of the country; only about one-quarter said they felt satisfied or enthusiastic.

The mood varied sharply by party. More than six in 10 Democrats said they were angry, compared with about one in 10 Republicans and more than a third of independents. That is a reversal from the 2022 midterms, when roughly half of Republicans said they were angry, alongside 15% of Democrats and 27% of independents.

Many voters were pessimistic about the future, too. Half expected life for the next generation to be worse than it is today—twice the share who thought it would be better.

Trump’s job approval was 38%, with 62% disapproving, putting his net rating at minus 24 points. The disapproval was particularly strong: more than half of voters strongly disapproved of his performance, about twice the number who strongly approved. At the same point in his first term, his approval was 44%, and his net rating was minus 12.

Although Trump was not on the ballot, voters often treated the House vote as a judgment on him. Nearly three times as many said they were voting to oppose him as said they were voting to support him.

Many also felt Trump did not understand their circumstances and believed he put his personal interests ahead of the country’s. More than six in 10 said he lacked the right priorities and did not fight for people like them. Narrow majorities also questioned whether he was a strong leader or had the mental capacity to serve effectively.

The Republican Party’s overall standing worsened after two years of unified control in Washington. Its net favorability fell to minus 18 points, down from minus 3 in 2024. Democrats remained unpopular, but their rating changed little, from minus 7 to minus 6.

Most voters viewed their own party favorably. Independents, however, were more positive toward Democrats: 42% viewed the party favorably, while views of Republicans were negative by roughly two to one. About seven in 10 independents viewed Trump unfavorably. Democrats almost universally disapproved of him, while about eight in 10 Republicans approved.

The economy, prices and Iran

Economic concerns were central to the results. Three-quarters of voters rated the economy negatively, a stark contrast with the same point in Trump’s first term, when positive views outnumbered negative ones by two to one. Nearly seven in 10 voters who viewed the economy negatively backed Democratic candidates; those with a positive economic outlook favored Republicans.

Inflation had affected most voters, and one in five described the hardship as severe. Concerns about prices cut across household expenses, with fuel at the top of the list, followed by health care and groceries. A majority also said they were very concerned about utility costs.

Voters were more likely to blame Trump’s policies for high prices than factors beyond his control. A majority said his policies had made conditions in the country worse, while fewer said they had improved them. Around two-thirds said his tariffs were harming the national economy, and nearly as many said they were hurting the economy where they lived. About two in 10 thought tariffs helped nationally, with fewer saying they helped locally.

Voters were also skeptical that the economic system worked fairly. Nearly seven in 10 said it favored wealthy people. Still, more than half viewed capitalism favorably, compared with about a third who viewed socialism favorably. The system itself retained support, even as many doubted who benefited from it.

The war in Iran was another major concern, tied in voters’ minds to fuel costs. About six in 10 said the United States was wrong to take military action, and most of those voters supported Democratic House candidates. Nearly all who said the action was right backed Republicans.

In a separate survey of about 3,000 registered voters conducted Nov. 1-3, more than two-thirds said avoiding a prolonged conflict in Iran was very important. Half said the same about preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. When asked to choose between priorities, nearly twice as many preferred ending U.S. military involvement to reduce gas prices as preferred restarting action to stop Iran’s nuclear program.

More than eight in 10 Democrats and about six in 10 independents favored ending the conflict to bring down fuel prices. Six in 10 Republicans favored restarting military action. At the same time, just over half of Republicans—and majorities of Democrats and independents—said avoiding a prolonged conflict was very important.

Top issues and party strengths

Government corruption and the cost of living were the two leading motivations for voters, with about half calling each crucial to their decision. Immigration and the Iran war followed, each cited as crucial by more than a third. Artificial intelligence and data centers ranked lower.

Democrats did better among voters who considered corruption, living costs, Iran or AI crucial. Republicans held an advantage among voters focused on immigration.

The economy was the issue voters most often named as facing the country, narrowly ahead of the state of democracy. Immigration came third, followed by health care, foreign policy and crime.

Democrats were particularly focused on democracy: 48% named it as their top issue, compared with 36% who chose the economy. Independents put the economy first, 39% to 34%. Republicans ranked the economy first at 41%, immigration second at 27% and democracy third at 16%. Voters who prioritized democracy or the economy favored Democratic House candidates; those who put immigration first leaned Republican.

Democrats had an edge over Republicans on six of the eight issues tested, though some of the margins were small. Their clearest advantage was on health care, followed by transgender-related policies. On the economy, the most important issue for voters overall, Democrats led by 6 points. They also held a 5-point advantage on foreign policy.

Voters narrowly trusted Democrats more on government corruption, though about a third said they trusted neither party to address it. Republicans led by 3 points on immigration. The parties were about even on taxes and separated by only 2 points on AI.

Health care, AI and immigration

Concern about health care costs was widespread, and voters worried about those costs favored Democratic House candidates. A clear majority wanted the federal government to play a larger role in helping people get care. Voters also gave the Trump administration poor marks, with majorities saying its policies had made it harder to get needed care and worsened their personal costs.

Voters approached AI with caution. A majority thought it would do more harm than good to society, a view shared across party lines; about one-quarter expected it to do more good. Republicans were the most optimistic, with 33% saying AI would have a positive effect.

Neither party had a clear advantage on AI. More voters than on any other issue said neither party was better suited to handle it, and the parties finished within two points of each other, with Democrats slightly ahead.

Plans for data centers also met resistance. Three-quarters opposed building one in their community. Those opposed backed Democratic House candidates by 28 points, while supporters of construction favored Republicans by 45 points. Opposition was especially strong in rural areas, where voters rejected a local data center by a three-to-one margin.

Republicans were viewed as better equipped to handle immigration, but many voters thought the Trump administration had gone too far in its enforcement actions. The remaining voters were split between saying the approach was about right and saying it had not gone far enough.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement received mostly negative reviews, with a majority disapproving of its performance. Most voters viewed immigrants positively, saying they helped the country more than they hurt it.

Congress and the courts

Public confidence in major institutions was low. Roughly one-quarter approved of Congress, while about four in 10 approved of the Supreme Court.

Voters wanted Congress to do more to check the president. A majority said it was not providing enough oversight, and those voters supported Democratic House candidates by 49 points.

The nationwide voter survey combined online and telephone interviews with registered voters from Oct. 19 to Nov. 3, 2026, with in-person interviews of people voting on Election Day. The separate Iran survey was conducted online and by phone among approximately 3,000 registered voters from Nov. 1-3.