By Salma El-Sakka
Democrats captured both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterms, flipping as many as seven Senate seats and at least 29 House seats, according to an NBC News exit poll that surveyed more than 79,000 voters nationwide.
Economic discontent drives voter shift
Three-quarters of voters rated the national economy as "not so good" or "poor," and 69% said the economic system favors the wealthy. More than 80% expressed worry about the cost of necessities such as fuel, food, utilities and healthcare. Forty-three percent favored Democratic control of the economy versus 37% for Republicans, a reversal from 2024. Sixty-five percent said President Trump's policies had made the economy worse.
Trump rejection and pessimism
Sixty-two percent blamed higher-than-usual prices on Trump's policies rather than external factors, and 65% said his tariff policies hurt the economy. Three in four voters were unhappy with the country's direction, 38% were angry, and 57% believed life for the next generation would be worse.
Democratic candidates more favored
Democratic Senate candidates enjoyed higher favorability: Jon Ossoff in Georgia (59%), James Talarico in Texas (52%) and Josh Turek in Iowa (49%) all won. Republican candidates struggled on character perceptions: only 43% viewed Sen. Roger Marshall positively and 34% viewed Ken Paxton positively; both lost. Trump-aligned candidates also fared poorly.
Demographic swings back to Democrats
Latinos, who gave Trump 46% in 2024, backed Democratic House candidates by 62%. Black male support for Republicans fell from 20% to 13%. Young men swung from a near-even split to a 68%-28% Democratic margin. Six percent of Trump voters crossed over to Democratic House candidates, compared with 3% of Harris voters moving to the GOP.
Trump personally rejected
Trump's approval rating among voters stood at 38%, the lowest Election Day rating for a sitting president since 2008. Forty-three percent cast their House ballot to oppose Trump, while 16% voted to support him. Majorities said he prioritizes personal interests (62%), that his war against Iran was the wrong decision (63%) and that his immigration actions went too far (57%).
No ideological shift left
The poll showed no progressive earthquake: 64% said abortion should be legal in most or all cases, nearly unchanged from 2024. Ideological self-identification remained stable at 25% liberal and 34% conservative. Socialism was viewed unfavorably by 54%, while capitalism held a 57% favorable rating.
