A New York Times/Siena survey found President Donald Trump had 36% approval among likely voters ahead of midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
The poll covered 3,494 likely voters interviewed from Oct. 12-19. Siena Research Institute reported that 59% disapproved of Trump’s performance, a net rating of minus 23 points. Approval had been 38% in September. The New York Times said its earlier Siena surveys had not registered a lower share of likely voters approving of Trump.
Ratings were weaker on household costs. Siena reported 29% approval and 69% disapproval for Trump’s handling of the cost of living; for gas prices, 24% approved and 73% disapproved. Siena Research Institute Executive Director Don Levy said disapproval was particularly strong on the economy, living costs and fuel prices. He also cited immigration, tariffs and the war in Iran as areas where voters disapproved of the president’s performance.
On congressional choices, Siena’s release said Democrats led by 10 points in a ballot question that named candidates. It also put Democrats five points ahead in Senate races across the 35 states holding them. The New York Times’ coverage gave the congressional result as 52% for Democrats and 41% for Republicans, an 11-point spread, leaving the two published accounts with different margins. Siena also reported that voters trusted Democrats more than Republicans by between eight and 20 points on the economy, cost of living, gas prices and other issues. These ballot results reflect poll responses, not election outcomes.
A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll put Trump’s approval at 31% among U.S. adults, a different sample from the Times/Siena likely-voter survey; see our earlier coverage of the Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The election is scheduled for Nov. 3. All 435 House seats and about one-third of Senate seats are up for election, and the results will determine which party controls Congress for the next two years.
