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Support for reelecting congressional incumbents at record lows: Gallup
Developed over time first seen 2 weeks ago
Support for re-electing members of the US Congress has reached a record low in Gallup’s final survey before a midterm election. In polling conducted from 1 to 19 October 2026, 43% of registered voters said their own representative deserved another term, while 15% said most members of Congress did. Both are the lowest figures in Gallup’s comparable pre-midterm readings dating back to 1994. The results measure voters’ views of incumbents; they do not establish how people will vote in individual races.
Views differ by party. Just over half of Republicans said their own representative deserved re-election, compared with 45% of Democrats and 36% of independents. Gallup also found that 14% of US adults approved of Congress, its lowest pre-midterm reading in a series dating back to 1974. The poll did not identify the party of each respondent’s representative, so it cannot show which party’s incumbents face greater opposition. Gallup noted that similarly poor national ratings have preceded markedly different election outcomes.
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In short
- 43% said their own representative deserved re-election, a pre-midterm low.
- Only 15% said most members of Congress deserved another term.
- The survey does not show which party’s incumbents are most at risk.
How this story developed
- 2 weeks ago Support for re-electing members of the US Congress has reached a record low in Gallup’s final survey before a midterm election. In polling conducted from 1 to 19 October 2026, 43% of registered voters said their own representative deserved another term, while 15% said most members of Congress did.
Explained simply
Members of the US House of Representatives and Senate serve fixed terms, and voters choose whether to return them to office. Elections held halfway through a president’s four-year term are called midterms; they decide every House seat and roughly a third of Senate seats.
Gallup is a US polling organisation that has tracked public views of Congress for decades. Its questions about re-electing a voter’s own representative and about Congress as a whole measure different things, and national polling does not predict the result in any one race.
The figures matter because they offer a snapshot of how voters view elected officials before an election. Views vary by party, and overall ratings alone do not show which party’s candidates are more likely to lose seats.
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Americas Elections Government Politics World