Democrats hold a modest edge on the generic ballot, while their voters are more attentive to the campaign
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 23, 2026) – By a wide margin, voters most want to hear congressional candidates talk about economic issues, with many specifically citing prices and affordability, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. But with the November elections on the horizon, Americans are about evenly split over which party they most agree with on economic policies: 37% say the Democratic Party, while 36% say the Republican Party.
According to the survey, conducted July 6-12 among 3,554 U.S. adults, including 2,779 registered voters, on the Center’s American Trends Panel, Democrats currently have both an edge in voters’ congressional candidate preferences, and an engagement advantage among their coalition. Among registered voters:
43% say they would back a Democratic candidate for Congress if the election were held today, while 37% would back a Republican. Two-in-ten say they are not sure or would back another candidate.
70% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say “it really matters” which party controls Congress in November, while 60% of Republicans and Republican leaners say the same.
39% of Democrats have thought a lot about the election, compared with 22% of Republicans.
Among other key findings:
Most voters say President Trump is a factor in their vote – though by roughly two-to-one, voters are more likely to say they think of their vote this fall as a vote against Trump (42%) than to say they think of it as a vote for him (22%). Democrats overwhelmingly (81%) say they consider their vote for Congress this fall a vote against Trump. In contrast, half of Republicans say Trump is not much of a factor in their vote, while 44% say their vote is a vote for him.
Views of the economy:
Current conditions: A quarter (24%) of adults say that current economic conditions in the U.S. are excellent or good, down from 28% in January. This drop has mostly come from Republicans (49% in January, 41% now).
Trump’s policies: Six-in-ten say Trump’s economic policies have made the U.S. economy worse, up from 52% in January. For more on economic attitudes, read here.
Views of the parties across key issues:
Economic Policies: In addition to the even split on economic policies, Republicans also no longer hold an advantage on policies to deal with the budget deficit.
Foreign Policy: Neither party has an advantage on foreign policy or policies related to the use of military force.
Crime: Americans continue to be more likely to agree with the Republican Party (43%) than the Democratic Party (29%) on policies to deal with crime.
Immigration: Republicans hold a 5-point edge on immigration policy. This compares with a 9-point Republican advantage in September.
Healthcare, Environmental Policy: Democrats hold a 14-point advantage on both issues.
Demographic differences in voters’ midterm preferences largely track patterns that are similar to other recent elections. Today, Republican candidates have a 10 percentage-point edge among White voters, while Democrats hold even wider advantages among Hispanic, Black and Asian voters. For more on demographic differences in candidate support, read here & explore the detailed tables.
Trump’s approval rating stands at 34%, while 64% of Americans say they disapprove of his job performance — unchanged since April.
Just a quarter of Americans now hold favorable views of Congress. Current ratings are near record lows and down from last August. Republicans (35%) remain more likely than Democrats (16%) to view Congress positively.
The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 3,554 respondents is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.
Read the full report: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/07/23/as-the-2026-midterms-approach-economy-is-front-and-center/
Detailed Tables: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RIr-dytKoiXirLuXm29V9Ok1EUIKSSD65Nr7XXsGTdQ/edit?gid=2077681921#gid=2077681921
Methodology: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/07/23/2026-midterms-methodology/
Survey topline: https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/07/PP_2026.7.23_midterms_Topline.pdf
For more information about the study or to arrange an interview with the lead researchers, please contact Nida Asheer (nasheer@pewresearch.org)
