A new CBS News/YouGov poll found that a majority of likely Democratic voters are primarily motivated by stopping President Donald Trump and Republicans, while most likely Republican voters say advancing Trump’s and the GOP’s policies is their main motivation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Opposition to President Donald Trump and Republican policies is a stronger motivation for likely Democratic voters heading into the 2026 midterm elections than advancing the Democratic Party’s own agenda, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday.
Among likely voters who said they intend to support a Democratic candidate for Congress, 54% said their primary objective is to stop Trump and Republicans from getting their policies enacted. The remaining 46% said they are principally voting to help Democrats advance their own policies.
Republican voters showed the reverse pattern. Among likely voters planning to support a Republican congressional candidate, 57% said their chief motivation is helping Trump and Republicans enact their policies, compared with 43% who said their primary aim is preventing Democrats from advancing theirs.
The findings come as Democrats hold an eight-point advantage on the poll’s generic congressional ballot. Among likely voters, 54% said they would vote for the Democratic candidate in their district if the election were held now, while 46% chose the Republican candidate.
Trump’s standing with voters also figured prominently in the survey. His overall job approval rating was 39%, while 61% disapproved of his performance as president. Of those surveyed, 19% strongly approved and 20% somewhat approved, compared with 13% who somewhat disapproved and 48% who strongly disapproved.
A Trump endorsement was more likely to discourage than encourage support for a congressional candidate among likely voters. Forty-eight percent said an endorsement from the president would make them less likely to vote for a candidate, while 21% said it would make them more likely to do so. Another 31% said a Trump endorsement would not affect their vote either way.
Economic concerns were also evident in the results. Trump received a 34% approval rating for his handling of the economy, with 66% disapproving. His rating on inflation was lower, with 27% approving and 73% disapproving.
Higher prices remain a significant concern for registered voters. Thirty-three percent said rising prices for goods and services have created a financial hardship for their families, while another 39% said higher prices have made life difficult even if they have not risen to the level of a financial hardship. Combined, 72% described higher prices as either difficult or a financial hardship. Twenty-three percent called them an inconvenience but not difficult, while 4% said their finances had not been affected.
The results show different motivational dynamics among the two parties’ likely voters. Democratic congressional support was more heavily oriented toward blocking Trump and Republican policies, while Republican support was more heavily centered on helping Trump and the GOP advance their agenda.
The CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted Sept. 8-11 among a nationally representative sample of 2,460 U.S. adults. Respondents were weighted by gender, age, race, education and their 2024 presidential vote, and likely-voter status was calculated using a model incorporating respondents’ stated voting intentions along with demographic and voting-history data. The margin of error for the full sample was plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
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