Frustrated by Trump, voters overwhelmingly want change, AP-NORC poll finds

WASHINGTON — A strong majority of voters say President Donald Trump is failing at home and abroad and want major changes in the upcoming midterm elections, according to a new AP-NORC poll that raises serious red flags for the Republican Party at a critical time.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey, conducted less than four weeks before Election Day, finds that registered voters who identify as Democrats are more enthusiastic than Republican voters about voting. More voters want Democrats to take control of Congress and have a more negative view of Republicans.

The Democratic advantage is small in some cases, but taken together the results paint a difficult picture for Republicans, who are clinging to control of Congress under the weight of an unpopular war with Iran and soaring prices at home.

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About 8 in 10 voters say the economy or cost of living are among their top issues for the upcoming election, while about two-thirds say the same about health care and the war in Iran. Other issues that are more important to Trump – like immigration or crime – are lower priorities.

“The world is going backwards. We can barely afford anything,” said Diana Walker, a 65-year-old Democrat from Decatur, Georgia. “Everyone is depressed. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, we’re all in hell.”

Democrats are more enthusiastic about voting than Republicans

Less than a month before the final midterm votes, the poll finds that Democratic voters are more motivated to vote.

Overall, about two-thirds of registered voters say it is “extremely” important to vote in the upcoming election, while about 2 in 10 say it is “very” important.

But about three-quarters of Democratic voters say voting in next November’s midterm elections is “extremely” important, compared to about 6 in 10 Republicans.

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Ryan Longbrake, a 52-year-old Democrat from Columbus, Ohio, who works in technology marketing, said he was particularly excited about voting and had already taken steps to ensure his wife and two college-age daughters would also vote.

“I believe there is change on the horizon and there is enthusiasm within our party,” he said, pointing to Democrats’ momentum in Ohio’s gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections. The party is also investing resources in Republican-leaning states, like Iowa and Kansas, where the political environment has put Democratic candidates on friendlier footing.

Republicans have controlled Congress for two years, but about half of registered voters now say they would prefer to see the Democratic Party control the House or Senate. A smaller percentage, about 4 in 10, say they want the Republican Party to control every chamber, while 15% are undecided.

The vast majority of voters want change

One thing is clear on the eve of the 2026 midterm elections: voters want change.

About half of voters say they want “substantial change,” and about three in ten want a “complete and total upheaval” in the way the country is run.

Democrats and independents are much more likely than Republicans to want a complete overhaul of the direction of the country. But even Republican voters are still looking for something different. Just under half, 45%, want substantial change, while 13% want upheaval.

“I’m a little tired of sending people over there and nothing getting done,” said Krista Kohles, a 70-year-old Republican from Davey, Nebraska. “Nothing changes.”

Trump’s numbers on key issues are weak

Voters are deeply frustrated with Trump and his leadership on the issues they believe matter most.

Only about a third of registered voters have a “very” or “somewhat” favorable opinion of the Republican president, and a similar share approve of his performance as president.

Voters continue to be frustrated by the high cost of living, a problem Trump vowed to address before winning a second term in the White House.

Nearly two years after his successful election, about 8 in 10 registered voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the cost of living, consistent with a September AP-NORC poll. About three-quarters disapprove of his economic performance.

LEARN MORE: Most Americans blame Trump for high prices as his economic approval hits new low, AP-NORC poll finds

Even among Republican voters, only 44% approve of Trump’s performance on the cost of living, while 54% approve of his leadership on the economy. This stands in stark contrast to other issues, such as crime, on which Republican approval is much higher.

There are fissures in Trump’s Republican base on other issues as well. Only 69% of Republican voters support Trump on foreign policy as the war in Iran enters its eighth month, despite his promises that it would last only four or five weeks.

DonnaJean Weber, a 72-year-old Republican from Manistee, Michigan, says she will continue to support Republican candidates this fall, but she is unhappy with the state of the economy under Trump’s leadership.

“Everything is increasing,” she said, pointing to the impact of the war with Iran, among other Trump decisions. “I don’t completely agree with him on all these tariffs either. It makes this country look bad.”

The economy and cost of living are top priorities for voters on both sides of the aisle. The survey finds that the vast majority of Republican and Democratic voters believe these two issues are among the most important for the upcoming election.

Voters are only outnumbered by one of Trump’s potential successors in the next presidential election, Vice President JD Vance: about half have a “somewhat” or “very” negative opinion of Vance, compared to about a third who have a positive opinion.

Enthusiasm for Democrats is not overwhelming

Trump’s struggles don’t mean voters are particularly excited about the Democratic Party’s direction.

Overall, about 4 in 10 voters have a “very” or “somewhat” favorable view of Democrats, while about half have an unfavorable view of the party. This is roughly similar to the view of the Republican Party, although about 6 in 10 voters have an unfavorable view of Republicans.

Democratic and Republican voters are equally enthusiastic about their own party, with about 8 in 10 voters saying they have a favorable opinion of their own party.

But the critical bloc of voters who identify as independents are much more likely to have a negative view of Republicans than Democrats. About two-thirds of independent voters have a negative view of the Republican Party, compared to about four in ten who have a negative view of Democrats.

Michael Russo, a 51-year-old Texas voter who is not registered with either party, described the state of the country under Republican control as “a nightmare.”

Does he want Republicans to maintain control of Congress? “No, I want them in prison, several of them,” he said. But he’s also not enthusiastic about the Democratic Party.

“I’m not sure they’ll do anything if they come to power,” Russo said.

People reported from New York.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,119 adults, including 925 registered voters, was conducted Oct. 8-12 using a sample drawn from NORC’s AmeriSpeak probability panel, designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all adults is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points, and the margin of error for registered voters is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.