Politics
Poll finds Democrats more eager to oppose Trump than Republicans are to back him
A POLITICO-PF Global poll finds Democratic midterm voters more motivated to vote against President Donald Trump than Republican voters are to support him. Half of Republican voters say their local candidates should prioritize winning, even if that means criticizing Trump.
With fewer than two weeks until the November 2026 midterms, a new poll suggests President Donald Trump’s effort to make the elections a referendum on himself may carry risks for Republican candidates.
Democratic voters are more motivated to vote against Trump than Republican voters are to vote in support of him, according to findings from a POLITICO Poll conducted with PF Global, an independent polling company headquartered in London. The poll did not provide a specific percentage for that motivation gap in the findings cited.
Among Republicans, half said they would rather their local candidate focus on winning than show loyalty to Trump, even if that means speaking out against the president. The result points to a pragmatic calculation among some GOP voters as candidates weigh how closely to align themselves with Trump.
Trump has urged voters to “pretend” he is on the ballot, staking his political standing on Republican victories. The poll’s findings could complicate that strategy, particularly in a midterm year when the party outside the White House often has an enthusiasm advantage.
Voter frustration over high prices is also shaping the political environment, according to the poll’s analysis. The survey offers a snapshot of voter motivation, but the findings provided do not include sample size, field dates or a margin of error.