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NPR to Explore Voter Sentiment in Key States Ahead of 2026 Midterms
Confirmed
In Short: NPR's Morning Edition will be traveling to six states with competitive races to hear what voters say is shaping their decisions ahead of the 2026 midterms.
According to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, registered voters favor Democrats for Congress over Republicans by 12 percentage points.
President Trump remains a significant factor, with 45% of voters saying their vote for Congress is a vote against him, compared to about a quarter who say they are voting to support him.
Steve Inskeep is reporting from North Carolina and Georgia, two closely watched Southern states, where he is listening for people who feel this election is personal.
Inskeep noted, 'Trump is not on the ballot but has urged voters to act as if he is, and given the consequential acts of his administration, voters are likely to respond as if he is.'
In Michigan, NPR’s Laura Martin will be asking what is driving voters after the state has chosen both Democrats and Republicans in key races.
Martin said, 'Are they mad. Sad. Or just exhausted. We hope to find out.'
NPR’s Leila Fadel will be reporting from Texas, where she will be asking voters what they want from their candidates and whether the party delivering that message matters.
Fadel said, 'I want to know what drives voters and how much party loyalty still plays a role.'
In Texas, Republican leaders are largely staying in lockstep with President Trump on artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, amid growing calls from voters for Congress and states to take action on Big Tech.
Scott Golden, the chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, told Newsweek there are 'legitimate issues on both sides' of the data center debate.
Evan Power, the chair of the Florida Republican Party, said, 'These blanket statements of opposition of data centers are stupid, and a lot of the rhetoric that data centers necessarily drain energy grids or dirty up water, not true in every case.'
Historically, when a president is unpopular, his party loses seats in midterms, and Democrats have built up a generic ballot lead and are competitive in several important Senate races in states that backed Trump by double digits in 2024.
What this adds
NPR's reporting will provide insights into voter sentiment beyond just healthcare costs, including party loyalty and data center development.
Republican leaders are navigating a tricky position on data centers, trying to align with Trump while addressing voter concerns.
The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll indicates a significant lead for Democrats, which could influence the outcome of the midterms.
What's confirmed
- According to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, registered voters favor Democrats for Congress over Republicans by 12 percentage points.
- President Trump remains a significant factor, with 45% of voters saying their vote for Congress is a vote against him, compared to about a quarter who say they are voting to support him.
- Steve Inskeep is reporting from North Carolina and Georgia, two closely watched Southern states, where he is listening for people who feel this election is personal.
- In Michigan, NPR’s Laura Martin will be asking what is driving voters after the state has chosen both Democrats and Republicans in key races.
- NPR’s Leila Fadel will be reporting from Texas, where she will be asking voters what they want from their candidates and whether the party delivering that message matters.
- In Texas, Republican leaders are largely staying in lockstep with President Trump on artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, amid growing calls from voters for Congress and states to take action on Big Tech.
- Scott Golden, the chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, told Newsweek there are 'legitimate issues on both sides' of the data center debate.
- Historically, when a president is unpopular, his party loses seats in midterms, and Democrats have built up a generic ballot lead and are competitive in several important Senate races in states that backed Trump by double digits in 2024.
What's still developing
- And ahead of Election Day, Morning Edition will be traveling to six states with some of the most competitive races to hear what voters say is shaping their decisions.
- But this year, some of the forces driving those costs are coming from far beyond voters' own communities.
- But voters are weighing more than their bills.
- Those are some of the questions that Morning Edition will take on the road, using the six states as a window into an electorate that is changing.
- A Martínez is heading to Texas, where Republicans are testing whether recent gains among Latino voters will hold.
- Martínez said that this makes the party's strategy around Latino voters one of the questions he wants to examine.
- We already have some clues about where voters stand.
- "Are their votes up for grabs? Or are they locked in along party lines?"
- “When I talk to people, they're worried about obviously paying more in energy prices. But I do think there's a lot of misinformation out there,” he said.
- Chaplain Rich Stoglin, president of the Frederick Douglass Republicans of Tarrant County in Texas, told Newsweek he supports the state's GOP Governor Greg Abbott’s approach, saying that data centers coming into the state should “have a plan” and be prevented from using eminent domain.
- “There are people in this state who have been ranchers, farmers for five, six, eight generations, and they don’t want any of their land taken away from them because of some idea,” he said.
- Rachal Hisler, an alternate delegate from Anahuac, Texas, told Newsweek that data center development is already happening and that legislators need to be “smart about” how they approach the issue.