A new Gallup survey finds that only 43% of registered voters believe their own congressional representative deserves reelection, while just 15% support returning most members of Congress to office, marking record lows ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — American voters are expressing historically low support for congressional incumbents just days before the November 3 midterm elections, with fewer than half believing their own representative deserves another term and overall congressional approval falling to 14%, according to a new Gallup survey.
The Gallup report published October 28 found that only 43% of registered voters believe their member of the U.S. House of Representatives deserves reelection, the lowest figure recorded in the organization’s final pre-midterm surveys dating back to 1994.
An even smaller share, 15%, said most members of Congress deserve another term, also establishing a record low for the survey’s pre-midterm measurements.
The findings represent a substantial decline in public support for incumbents compared with previous election cycles. Before 2026, the percentage of voters supporting reelection of their own representative had ranged from 50% to 69% in comparable Gallup surveys.
Support for retaining most congressional members had previously ranged from 21% to 58%.
The October 1-19 survey, conducted during the final weeks of the midterm campaign, also revealed significant differences among Republican, Democratic and independent voters.
Among Republicans, 51% said their own representative deserved reelection, compared with 45% of Democrats and 36% of independents.
When asked about most members of Congress, however, only 29% of Republicans supported reelection, compared with 11% of Democrats and 9% of independents.
Gallup noted that Republican voters’ relatively stronger support for congressional incumbents is consistent with historical patterns in which supporters of the party controlling the House tend to express more favorable views of sitting lawmakers.
Republicans currently hold a narrow four-seat advantage in the House.
However, the survey did not identify whether individual respondents were represented by Republicans or Democrats, meaning the findings cannot establish which party’s incumbents face greater dissatisfaction among their own constituents.
The decline in support for reelection coincides with exceptionally weak public approval of Congress as an institution.
Gallup found that 14% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, the lowest level recorded immediately before a midterm election in its trend dating back to 1974.
The figure is not the lowest congressional approval rating in Gallup’s complete polling history. Approval reached an all-time low of 9% in November 2013.
Nevertheless, the current reading illustrates widespread dissatisfaction with the 119th Congress during a period of intense political disagreement over government spending, immigration, economic conditions and foreign policy.
Republican approval of Congress has declined substantially during President Donald Trump’s second term.
In February 2025, 53% of Republican voters approved of Congress. That figure climbed to 63% in March before declining during the year.
Republican approval fell to 23% in November 2025 amid the nation’s longest government shutdown and has since recovered only partially, reaching 29% in the latest survey.
Democratic approval has remained consistently low throughout the current administration.
Only 4% of Democrats currently approve of Congress, while 13% of independents express approval.
The findings suggest that dissatisfaction extends across political affiliations, although voters’ assessments differ depending on which party controls Congress.
Economic concerns are also contributing to the unfavorable national political environment.
Gallup found that 26% of Americans identify government or poor political leadership as the country’s most important problem, making it the single most frequently mentioned issue.
Economic concerns collectively ranked higher, however, with 38% identifying at least one economic problem.
Inflation and the cost of living were cited by 17% of respondents, while 15% mentioned the economy more broadly and 7% identified gasoline prices.
Immigration was mentioned by 9%.
The survey also found that Americans continue to evaluate economic conditions negatively despite recent reports showing stronger economic growth.
Only 19% rated the economy as excellent or good, while 48% described conditions as poor.
Gallup’s net economic conditions rating, calculated by subtracting negative assessments from positive ones, stood at minus 29 percentage points.
That reading is among the weakest recorded ahead of a midterm election, comparable to the minus 31 rating in 2010 and slightly stronger than the minus 35 recorded in 2022.
The latest economic assessment also represents a deterioration from January 2025, when the net rating stood at minus 14.
Political affiliation continues to influence Americans’ evaluations of the economy.
Republicans’ net economic rating has improved from minus 49 in January 2025 to plus 32, while Democrats’ rating declined from plus 23 to minus 68.
Independents remained pessimistic, with their net assessment falling to minus 37.
Public satisfaction with the country’s overall direction also remains low.
Gallup found that 23% of Americans are satisfied with how things are going in the United States, compared with 75% who are dissatisfied.
The current satisfaction level is comparable to the 22% recorded before the 2010 midterms and 24% in 1982.
In 2022, satisfaction was even lower, at 17%, while the highest pre-midterm reading in Gallup’s historical comparison was 60% in 1998.
Among Republicans, satisfaction currently stands at 55%, compared with 18% of independents and 2% of Democrats.
Gallup’s historical data show that dissatisfaction with Congress and national economic conditions has frequently coincided with electoral setbacks for the president’s party.
In 11 of the 13 midterm elections since 1974, the party controlling the White House lost seats in the House of Representatives.
The exceptions occurred in 1998 and 2002, when the president’s party gained five and six seats, respectively.
Congressional approval was substantially higher during those elections, reaching 44% in 1998 and 50% in 2002.
In all nine previous midterm elections when congressional approval fell below 30%, the president’s party lost House seats.
The size of those losses varied considerably, however, demonstrating that public approval alone does not determine election outcomes.
In 2010, Democrats lost 63 House seats under President Barack Obama, while in 2022 they lost nine seats under President Joe Biden despite similarly unfavorable public assessments of economic conditions.
Gallup also noted that the number of seats held by the president’s party before an election can affect the scale of subsequent gains or losses.
The latest survey comes as voters prepare to choose all 435 members of the House of Representatives and candidates in Senate, gubernatorial and other state and local elections.
While the findings document historically low support for congressional incumbents, the survey measures general attitudes toward reelection rather than voter preferences in specific races.
National dissatisfaction does not necessarily mean individual lawmakers will lose their seats, particularly in districts where political affiliations and local circumstances strongly influence election results.
The results nevertheless demonstrate a notable shift in voter attitudes toward Washington, with support for reelection of both individual representatives and Congress as a whole falling to record pre-midterm lows.
The findings also show that dissatisfaction is accompanied by negative economic perceptions and limited confidence in the country’s direction, placing public trust in federal leadership among the central issues facing voters ahead of Election Day.
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