Democrats open up double-digit lead over Republicans days before midterms: poll

Democrats hold an 11-point lead over Republicans among registered voters asked which party they would back for Congress, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday. The five-day nationwide poll found 47% favored Democrats against 36% for Republicans in what is known as a "generic ballot" question. Some 11% of those asked said they did not know who they would vote for if the election were held today. The poll also asked undecided voters which party they were leaning toward. Once those responses were factored in, the national race appeared somewhat tighter, with Democrats leading by 9 percentage points, 50% to 41%. The 11-point gap between the two parties was 1 percentage point narrower than in a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on October 19. President Donald Trump mocks transgender athletes as he delivers remarks to supporters at a midterm election campaign rally for incumbent US Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) at an arena in Corinth, Mississippi (Reuters)The survey comes ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, which will decide which party controls Congress. President Donald Trump's public approval rating inched higher to 32% in the poll, up a percentage point from last week's record low. Trump's fellow Republicans are fighting to retain the party's majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate. For Republicans, losing control of either chamber could complicate Trump's agenda in the last two years of his second term as president. Political analysts generally see the Democrats having a good chance of winning control of the House, but think they face a steeper climb to win the Senate. Generic ballot polls are national polls that provide an overall view of which party poll respondents would like to see in charge in Congress. While these polls show national public sentiment, they do not capture the nuances of the state-by-state and district-by-district contests that determine control of the Senate and House, contests in which Republicans hold some structural advantages. It remains to be seen how many voters will actually cast ballots. The voters who appeared most likely to vote still favored Democrats over Republicans by 9 points, 53% to 44%. The fight for Congress has appeared to turn on views around inflation, which has surged since Trump ordered military strikes on Iran in February that sent gasoline prices higher. Former President Barack Obama speaks at a “Get Out the Vote" rally in support of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on October 24, 2026 in Detroit (Getty)Some 73% of voters in the poll said their cost of living was heading in the wrong direction. Before the war began, Reuters/Ipsos polls showed voters preferring Republicans over Democrats as better stewards of the US economy. The latest poll showed 37% of voters said Democrats have a better approach on the economy, compared to 33% who picked Republicans on the issue. The poll also suggested Democratic voters were more excited about voting. Some 46% of Democrats said they were very enthusiastic about the midterms, compared with 30% of Republicans. Reuters/Ipsos conducted the poll online.