With U.S. voters set to choose a new Congress on Tuesday, Nov. 3, Gallup data show weak support for incumbents and widespread independent identification, measures of discontent that do not prove party realignment.
The vote will fill every seat in the House of Representatives and about one-third of the Senate. In Gallup's survey of registered voters, conducted Oct. 1-19, only 15% believed most members of Congress merited another term; 43% felt the same about their own representative.
Congressional approval stood at 14%, below every other Gallup reading taken before midterms since the series began in 1974. The series' all-time low was 9%, recorded in November 2013.
In interviews with more than 13,000 U.S. adults throughout 2025, Gallup found 45% described themselves as independents, compared with 27% each who identified as Democrats and Republicans. The independent figure included 20% of adults who leaned Democratic and 15% who leaned Republican; 10% had no party lean. Political identity does not establish how someone is registered or votes, so the figure alone cannot show a change in voting choices.
In Michigan, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens announced on Nov. 1 that she was endorsing Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, writing on X, “I am endorsing Mike Rogers.” The Associated Press reported the endorsement amid divisions among Michigan Democrats.
Hindustan Times carried a Wall Street Journal report quoting former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, as saying, “It does feel like we’re at an inflection point.” The Journal described some cross-party agreement on cost-of-living concerns and framed voter frustration as pressure on both parties to respond.
Midterm history shows varied outcomes. In the 13 elections since 1974, the president's party increased its House total twice: by five seats in 1998 and six in 2002. It lost seats in the other 11 contests, with declines ranging from five to 63. Tuesday's results will set the House and Senate majorities for the next two years.
