Newsweek, August 2026
Democrats are mounting competitive Senate and gubernatorial campaigns in several states that President Donald Trump carried by double-digit margins in the 2024 presidential election. The competitive contests in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas have raised questions about whether Republicans, who hold both the House and Senate majorities, face mounting political headwinds ahead of the 2026 midterms and whether Democrats can capitalize on them.
Trump’s Slipping Approval Rating
Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University, told Newsweek that “presidential approval and the state of the economy are both strong predictors to outcomes in congressional races in midterms. The president’s sagging rating on both of these metrics are making races in these states more competitive than we’d expect.” Trump’s approval ratings have raised concerns among some Republicans as the party heads into the 2026 midterms. Nationally, 35 percent of voters approve of Trump’s job performance while 59 percent disapprove as of August 27, leaving him significantly underwater with a net approval rating of -24, according to Civiqs’ rolling online tracking poll of registered voters.
