2026 Generic Ballot Tracker
Generic Ballot
Democrats +8.4
Democrats 50.3%
Republicans 41.9%
Polls (28-day) 37
Generic Ballot Trend
Dem 50.3%
GOP 41.9%
Net Margin
D+8.4
Estimated by state
Tap a state
D by 15+
D by 8–15
D by 3–8
Within 3
R by 3–8
R by 8–15
R by 15+
What is the generic ballot?
A "generic ballot" poll asks voters which party's candidate they would vote for in an election for the U.S. House. It's an indicator of the national political environment heading into a midterm election. We average the polls together, weighted by recency, sample size, and every pollster's track record.
Generic Ballot Polls
Showing all polls in the aggregation window. Pollsters with multiple entries (e.g., YouGov) are weighted by the model's quality and recency adjustments.
| Pollster | Date | Dem % | GOP % | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActiVote | Oct 21, 2026Oct 21 | 54% | 46% | D+7 |
| YouGov The Economist | Oct 20, 2026Oct 20 | 50% | 43% | D+7 |
| Strength In Numbers/ | Oct 19, 2026Oct 19 | 54% | 42% | D+12 |
| The New York Times/ | Oct 19, 2026Oct 19 | 52% | 41% | D+11 |
| Echelon Insights | Oct 19, 2026Oct 19 | 50% | 45% | D+5 |
| Ipsos Reuters | Oct 19, 2026Oct 19 | 47% | 35% | D+12 |
| Hart Research Associates/ | Oct 18, 2026Oct 18 | 52% | 45% | D+7 |
| CNN/ | Oct 18, 2026Oct 18 | 49% | 39% | D+10 |
| Morning Consult | Oct 18, 2026Oct 18 | 50% | 43% | D+7 |
| ActiVote | Oct 14, 2026Oct 14 | 53% | 47% | D+7 |
| Ipsos ABC News, The Washington Post | Oct 13, 2026Oct 13 | 52% | 44% | D+8 |
| RMG Research Napolitan News Service | Oct 13, 2026Oct 13 | 51% | 43% | D+8 |
| SurveyMonkey NBC News | Oct 12, 2026Oct 12 | 55% | 45% | D+10 |
| AP-NORC | Oct 12, 2026Oct 12 | 47% | 38% | D+9 |
| Beacon Research/ | Oct 12, 2026Oct 12 | 54% | 45% | D+9 |
Presidential Approval Tracker
Presidential Approval
-23.3 net approval
Approve 37.6%
Disapprove 60.9%
Polls (28-day) 73
Presidential Approval Trend
Approve 37.6%
Disapprove 60.9%
Net Approval
-23.3
Estimated by state
Tap a state
+30 or higher
+15 to +30
+5 to +15
Within 5
−5 to −15
−15 to −30
−30 or lower
About this tracker
Every publicly released poll asking Americans whether or not they approve of the job Donald Trump is doing as President of the United States, averaged and weighted the same way as the generic ballot. Midterm elections are usually treated by voters as referendums on the President, making this a key indicator for how voters may shift between now and November.
Approval Polls
| Pollster | Date | ApproveApp. | DisapproveDis. | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RMG Research Napolitan News Service | Oct 20, 2026Oct 20 | 42% | 57% | -15 |
| YouGov The Economist | Oct 20, 2026Oct 20 | 41% | 59% | -18 |
| American Research Group | Oct 20, 2026Oct 20 | 30% | 67% | -37 |
| Strength In Numbers/ | Oct 19, 2026Oct 19 | 34% | 62% | -28 |
| The New York Times/ | Oct 19, 2026Oct 19 | 36% | 59% | -23 |
| Echelon Insights | Oct 19, 2026Oct 19 | 39% | 60% | -21 |
| Ipsos Reuters | Oct 19, 2026Oct 19 | 34% | 65% | -31 |
| Hart Research Associates/ | Oct 18, 2026Oct 18 | 40% | 59% | -19 |
| CNN/ | Oct 18, 2026Oct 18 | 32% | 67% | -35 |
| Morning Consult | Oct 18, 2026Oct 18 | 42% | 56% | -15 |
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