Democrats hold an 11-point advantage over Republicans in the latest generic congressional ballot test, leading 53% to 42% in an Emerson College Polling survey. The result ties the poll’s highest Democratic support and largest lead. President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell to 39%, while disapproval rose to 58%, compared with 40% approval and 56% disapproval in August. Fifty-six percent of voters said Trump had performed worse than expected in his second term, including 66% of independents and 82% of Democrats, while 51% of Republicans said he had done better than expected. Economic concerns ranked first among voters’ priorities at 41%, and 60% said Trump’s economic policies were making the economy worse. The survey found 71% of voters were very excited to vote in the 2026 midterm elections, which were six weeks away when the poll was conducted.