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Polls give Democrats biggest lead yet in the race for Congress

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Clark, S. (2026, September 25). Polls give Democrats biggest lead yet in the race for Congress. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-poll-midterms-democrat-republican-b3056369.html

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The Independent · collected 2026-09-25 · by Sophie Clark

Quick Summary

Recent polls indicate that Democrats hold a significant 9-point lead over Republicans for control of Congress ahead of November's midterms, largely due to Independents favoring Democratic candidates. These surveys, compiled by NBC News, highlight President Donald Trump’s declining approval ratings—especially among Independents—and voter dissatisfaction with his economic and foreign policy management.Democrats are capitalizing on these sentiments, emphasizing affordability issues as their central campaign theme.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Democrats hold a 9-point lead over Republicans in the race for control of Congress ahead of the November 2026 midterms, according to NBC News' polling averages. This shift began around fall 2025 as public frustration grew over President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy and his involvement in the war in Iran. Additionally, incidents involving federal immigration officers killing two Americans contributed to this sentiment. Initially tied after Trump's return to office last year, independents have increasingly preferred a Democratic-controlled Congress due to dissatisfaction with Trump’s economic policies. The poll averages stand at 52% for Democrats and 43% for Republicans on a likely voter scale, indicating a significant lead for the Democrats as the midterms approach.

Written for “Democrats Lead In Congressional Polls” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Democrats Lead In Congressional Polls
Politics · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
NBC News
Hedges 4 of 53 claims Outlet record 60/100
Silver Bulletin
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 24 claims
“The articles discuss overall trends and poll results for the races leading up to November midterms but do not describe a single specific incident or occurrence.”
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 17 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles describe different polling results from different dates and with varying lead percentages.”
Los Angeles Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 6 of 58 claims Outlet record 95/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of upcoming midterm elections and do not describe the same specific incident.”
Los Angeles Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 7 of 52 claims Outlet record 95/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the upcoming midterms and poll results, rather than a single specific incident.”
NBC News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 52 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss general political trends and polling data leading up to the midterms but do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”
NPR
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 9 of 69 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different poll results with distinct margins and release dates.”
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 20 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles discuss different polling results with varying lead advantages for Democrats over Republicans at distinct times.”
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 16 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles describe different aspects of shifting political polling trends but do not refer to the exact same specific poll or election outcome.”
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles cover different polling results and do not specify the same exact poll or event.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
16
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 3504 article(s) · 8 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 8 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Sophie Clark
9 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 It involves cutting off excess skin, muscle or fat from around the eyelid in the hope that the procedure will leave the patients with a more youthful appearance. But the trend has also fuelled a thriving market in cheap backstreet cosmetic surgeries, involving what campaigners warn is a ‘revolving door of butchery’.
Also by Sophie Clark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 9 articles by Sophie Clark →

Topics

Democrats House Independent Independents Republicans

Subjects

Democrats NORP · 5× Trump PERSON · 5× House ORG · 4× Republicans NORP · 4× Independents NORP · 3× Independent ORG · 2× NBC ORG · 2× Congress ORG · 1× Democratic NORP · 1× Senate ORG · 1×

Narrative

The polling from NBC are weighted calculations of all available polls, and serve to give an overview of the national landscape. While it is fairly typical for the president’s party to lose seats in the midterms, this election is being viewed as a referendum on Trump and Trumpism.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
🔮 The American people will have the last word.”
2026-09-25 · The Independent
Polls give Democrats biggest lead yet in the race for Congress · assertive framing

Claims (16 extracted, 1 hedged)

New polling ahead of the November midterms show Democrats with a significant lead in House and Senate races. asserted
polling → show → races
Polls show Democrats with a 9 point advantage over Republicans when it comes to gaining control of Congress, largely due to Independents leaning towards Democratic candidates in November. asserted
Independents → show → November
These polls, released by NBC News , come as President Donald Trump has faced his worst approval rating of his second term, with voters especially upset over his management of the economy and foreign policy. asserted
voters → release → economy
House Democrats have made affordability their central message ahead of the November midterms, with the leader of the House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, saying: “House Democrats are running through the finish line to lower the high cost of living. asserted
Democrats → make → living
Republicans are running scared. asserted
Republicans → run → ?
The American people will have the last word.” asserted
people → have → word
While polling shows that partisans are unlikely to change their party affiliation, Independents are particularly frustrated with the direction of the economy, and Democrats are now sitting with a 16 point lead on average with Independent voters. asserted
Democrats → show → voters
Trump’s national approval rating sits at 32 per cent according to Reuters, and his approval rating among Independents is even lower, at just 26 per cent, per NBC. uncertain
rating → sit → NBC
The president campaigned in 2024 on lowering the price of household items and not starting any new wars. asserted
president → campaign → wars
However, the president then entered a war with Iran which has resulted in high gas prices at the pump and rising diesel prices which has impacted the cost of goods because diesel is critical for long-haul trucking. asserted
diesel → enter → trucking
Even some Republicans are aware that the party is in for a “shellacking” in November, with Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie telling CNN: “[Republicans] they’re about to take a shellacking here in the general election… asserted
they → tell → election
I think ‘Trump’s] comeuppance will happen on election day, and the day after I think there’s going to be a reckoning.” asserted
I → think → day
The polling from NBC are weighted calculations of all available polls, and serve to give an overview of the national landscape. While it is fairly typical for the president’s party to lose seats in the midterms, this election is being viewed as a referendum on Trump and Trumpism. asserted
election → weight → Trump
The Republican Party under Trump has affiliated itself up until this point almost entirely with the president and his persona. asserted
Party → affiliate → president
However, as his policies have started to sour, this midterm will be a test on whether Republican candidates are willing and/or able to distance themselves from Trump. asserted
candidates → start → Trump
And, whether voters want to see the party move in a new direction. asserted
party → want → direction
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