Midterms are historically a referendum on the president, and up to date ABC Information/Washington Publish/Ipsos polling exhibits that President Donald Trump is a deeply unpopular president who faces adverse scores 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 almost cut up between the 2 events in the event that they voted immediately.
Only a week earlier than the primary voters head to the polls for main elections in some states, an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducting using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel finds registered voters in America are roughly cut 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 in the course of the ‘Angel Households Remembrance Ceremony’ on the White Home in Washington, February 23, 2026.
Win McNamee/Getty Pictures
That hole widens barely to 4 factors amongst adults total, 43% for Democrats and 39% for Republicans. These margins are almost 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 well-liked 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 well-liked Democrats by 12 factors. Democrats received the Home that yr.
Right now, 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 residing or immigration. And it’s clear that voters who’re skeptical of Trump haven’t purchased into Democrats’ messaging, at the very least but.
Virtually all voters who strongly approve of Trump say they might vote for the Republican candidate if midterms have been held immediately (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.
Absolutely 96% of Democratic registered voters assist their social gathering’s candidate; the same 94% of Republican registered voters assist their social gathering’s candidate.
Unbiased voters assist Democrats by 15 factors, 48% to 33%. Within the February 2022 ABC Information/Washington Publish ballot, unbiased voters most well-liked Republican candidates by 14 factors — and the GOP went on to win in Congress. Within the January 2018 ballot, unbiased voters most well-liked 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 there was 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 on election administration and vote counting in sure states, whereas solely 23% assist this.
About 9 in 10 Democrats (88%) together with over half of independents (55%) oppose the federal authorities taking on election administration in sure states, whereas simply over half of Republicans assist this (53%). About two-thirds of MAGA Republicans assist 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 have been counted three separate instances and the outcomes have been affirmed every time.
When requested concerning the FBI seizing ballots from the 2020 presidential election in Fulton County, Georgia, opposition outweighs assist, 45% to 24% with 32% providing no opinion.
Members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Proof Response Group maintain cordon tape outdoors the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Heart after the FBI executed a search warrant there in relation to the 2020 election, based on a regulation enforcement official conversant in the matter, in Union Metropolis, Ga. Jan. 28, 2026.
Alyssa Pointer/Reuters
Whereas two-thirds of MAGA Republicans assist the FBI’s seizure of ballots in Fulton County, solely about 2 in 10 non-MAGA Republicans assist it with about half saying they don’t have 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 picture 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 almost all People assist the SAVE Act’s much more restrictive voter registration ID legal guidelines.
About 6 in 10 People say they assist anybody registering to vote in federal elections to offer proof of U.S. citizenship, whereas about 2 in 10 oppose this. The query specified that folks registering to vote would wish to point out a U.S. passport, start certificates with matching picture ID or different official paperwork verifying citizenship and identification.
Trump and the way forward for the Republican Occasion
Regardless of Trump’s deep unpopularity and adverse scores of his insurance policies and positions, Republicans nonetheless largely approve of him and say that their social gathering 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 social gathering ought to lead the social gathering in a unique course. The share saying the social gathering 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 social gathering 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 social gathering — say Republican leaders ought to lead the social gathering in a unique course.
Methodology – This ABC Information/Washington Publish/Ipsos ballot was carried out by way of 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.
E-mail ABCNEWS.Polls@abc.com to be added to ABC Information’ polling distribution record.
Extra ABC Information polls may 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
