Midterms are historically a referendum on the president, and up to date ABC Information/Washington Publish/Ipsos polling reveals that President Donald Trump is a deeply unpopular president who faces damaging rankings on dealing with numerous points together with majorities of People reverse him on key coverage positions. However with Americans not trusting Democrats more than Republicans to deal with the nation’s most severe points – registered voters say they might be practically break up between the 2 events in the event that they voted as we speak.
Only a week earlier than the primary voters head to the polls for major elections in some states, an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducting using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel finds registered voters in America are roughly break up between supporting the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate in U.S. Home of Consultant elections of their congressional district this fall, 47% to 45%.
President Donald Trump speaks through the ‘Angel Households Remembrance Ceremony’ on the White Home in Washington, February 23, 2026.
Win McNamee/Getty Photos
That hole widens barely to 4 factors amongst adults total, 43% for Democrats and 39% for Republicans. These margins are practically equivalent to when ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos asked in October.
In a February 2022 ABC News/Washington Post poll, former President Joe Biden had a 37% approval ranking and voters most popular Republican candidates within the midterm query by a 7-point margin. That yr, Republicans went on to win the Home. In a January 2018 ABC/Post poll, Trump had a 36% approval ranking and voters most popular Democrats by 12 factors. Democrats received the Home that yr.
As we speak, Trump’s approval ranking is 39%. However People don’t belief Democrats greater than Republicans to deal with the nation’s issues, the price of dwelling or immigration. And it’s clear that voters who’re skeptical of Trump haven’t purchased into Democrats’ messaging, at the very least but.
Nearly all voters who strongly approve of Trump say they might vote for the Republican candidate if midterms had been held as we speak (97%) and 87% of those that approve of him “considerably” additionally say they’d vote for Republicans. However whereas about 9 in 10 of those that strongly disapprove of Trump would vote for the Democratic candidate, amongst those that considerably disapprove of the president, 46% would vote for the Republican candidate and 32% would vote for the Democrat in midterms.
Totally 96% of Democratic registered voters help their celebration’s candidate; an identical 94% of Republican registered voters help their celebration’s candidate.
Unbiased voters help Democrats by 15 factors, 48% to 33%. Within the February 2022 ABC Information/Washington Publish ballot, unbiased voters most popular Republican candidates by 14 factors — and the GOP went on to win in Congress. Within the January 2018 ballot, unbiased voters most popular Democratic candidates by the identical margin — and Democrats received the Home in November.
Nationalizing voting, FBI poll counting and voter ID legal guidelines
Trump has continued to publicly repeat unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, regardless of all proof exhibiting that Biden was legally elected and no proof of widespread voter fraud.
Earlier this month, Trump doubled down on his earlier suggestion that the federal government should “get involved” in state elections, arguing that Republicans ought to “nationalize” elections in response to his continued false claims of voter fraud and refusal to simply accept his 2020 loss.
Most People (54%) oppose the federal authorities taking up election administration and vote counting in sure states, whereas solely 23% help this.
About 9 in 10 Democrats (88%) together with over half of independents (55%) oppose the federal authorities taking up election administration in sure states, whereas simply over half of Republicans help this (53%). About two-thirds of MAGA Republicans help it (66%), in comparison with about 2 in 10 non-MAGA Republicans (21%).
Trump has gone as far in his need to relitigate the 2020 election as to have the FBI seize ballots from Fulton County, Georgia, the place he misplaced in 2020. That election’s ballots had been counted three separate occasions and the outcomes had been affirmed every time.
When requested in regards to the FBI seizing ballots from the 2020 presidential election in Fulton County, Georgia, opposition outweighs help, 45% to 24% with 32% providing no opinion.
Members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Proof Response Workforce maintain cordon tape exterior the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Middle after the FBI executed a search warrant there in relation to the 2020 election, in response to a legislation enforcement official accustomed to the matter, in Union Metropolis, Ga. Jan. 28, 2026.
Alyssa Pointer/Reuters
Whereas two-thirds of MAGA Republicans help the FBI’s seizure of ballots in Fulton County, solely about 2 in 10 non-MAGA Republicans help it with about half saying they haven’t any opinion.
Trump’s repeated and unsubstantiated accusations of rigged voting can also be tied to his backing of the “SAVE America Act,” a bit of laws that handed the Home earlier this month. The laws would limit mail-in ballots, require photograph ID and mandate that states require proof of citizenship when folks register to vote in federal elections.
Although each voter fraud and noncitizen voting are exceedingly rare problems, People are typically in favor of voter ID legal guidelines. And the ABC Information/Washington Publish/Ipsos ballot finds that the majority People help the SAVE Act’s much more restrictive voter registration ID legal guidelines.
About 6 in 10 People say they help anybody registering to vote in federal elections to supply proof of U.S. citizenship, whereas about 2 in 10 oppose this. The query specified that folks registering to vote would want to point out a U.S. passport, start certificates with matching photograph ID or different official paperwork verifying citizenship and id.
Trump and the way forward for the Republican Get together
Regardless of Trump’s deep unpopularity and damaging rankings of his insurance policies and positions, Republicans nonetheless largely approve of him and say that their celebration ought to comply with the president’s management, a quantity that has grown within the newest ballot.
The ballot finds 71% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say that Republican leaders ought to comply with Trump’s management, whereas 28% say leaders of their celebration ought to lead the celebration in a special course. The share saying the celebration ought to comply with Trump has elevated from 60% in 2022 and 57% in 2021.
About 9 in 10 self-described Republican MAGA supporters — who make up 54% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents — say the celebration ought to comply with Trump’s management, in contrast with roughly 4 in 10 non-MAGA Republicans. Greater than half, 56% of non-MAGA Republicans — who make up 42% of the celebration — say Republican leaders ought to lead the celebration in a special course.
Methodology – This ABC Information/Washington Publish/Ipsos ballot was carried out through the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel, Feb. 12-17, 2026, amongst 2,589 U.S. adults and has an total margin of error of plus or minus 2 proportion factors. The error margins are bigger amongst partisan subgroup samples and different subgroups.
See PDF for full results and detailed methodology.
Electronic mail ABCNEWS.Polls@abc.com to be added to ABC Information’ polling distribution listing.
Extra ABC Information polls will be discovered at abcnews.com. Media contacts: Jeannie Kedas and Van Scott.
Earlier releases:
Americans oppose the tactics ICE is using to enforce immigration laws by 2:1 margin
Majority of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling tariffs
Immigration is Trump’s best and worst issue: ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll
