Democrats better go find Jamaal Bowman. Someone needs to pull a fire alarm and alert them that they don't have the midterms, at least as far as the Senate is concerned, locked up by any stretch of the imagination.
The resistance party is staring down a tough path to reclaiming that chamber in the 2026 midterms.
Despite holding a modest six-point lead on the generic congressional ballot, that advantage is "historically low" for the opposing party under a Republican president.
According to CNN data guru Harry Enten, the numbers fall dreadfully short of the eight-point edge Democrats enjoyed in 2018 and the 11-point lead in 2006.
"Yeah, Democrats are ahead, but they’re only ahead by five with a president whose net approval rating is bordering on -20 to -30, depending on what polls you look at," he explained to Anchor John Berman. "You’d make the argument Democrats should be way ahead. And they’re just only sort of, slightly ahead.”
NEW: Republicans lead in net favorability ahead of the 2026 midterms
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 6, 2026
"Democrats are, just simply put, running behind their previous benchmark..." pic.twitter.com/VeE4MdDqsx
READ MORE: New Poll Bears Out What We Have Suspected All Along About Democrats and Open Borders
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It's always something to see the folks in legacy media perplexed and/or befuddled that Democrats don't score higher with the American people because, in their minds, President Trump is an abomination.
They don't seem to realize that their party is the actual abomination, and despite the 24/7 cycle of news trying to lift them up and put the President down, they simply aren't well-liked by average Americans.
Enten proceeded to point out that those first numbers were just icing on the cake. When analyzing net favorables, the Democrats are doing even worse.
"The Democrats might need a bigger lead than they have now if the Senate is really in play. What else is going on now for the Democrats that maybe should cause them concern? ... Why is that generic congressional ballot lead so low?" he asked.
"Because just take a look at this, net favorability, party ahead at this point, midterm years with a GOP president," the energetic numbers guy explained. "In 2018, Dems were up by 12. In 2006, on net favorability, which party you like more, Dems are ahead by 18. Republicans are actually ahead on net favorability at this point by five points."
Yikes. While neither party is particularly popular, the Democrats are still—despite the widespread media bias, despite the anger directed at Trump and his immigration enforcement tactics, despite the "nO kInGs" protests—lagging behind the GOP.
This is a five-alarm fire for Democrats in swing states.
— Delanie Bomar (@DelanieBomar) April 6, 2026
CNN: "Democrats are, just simply put, running behind their previous benchmark."pic.twitter.com/2uHiZagDrb
Newsweek reports that the new polling should be a "warning" to Democrats and notes the numbers "continue showing Democrats are not particularly popular among the electorate—largely due to frustration from their own voters."
Gonna be tough to get those voters motivated and out the door on Election Day (for those living Democrats who actually vote that day) when your own base can barely stand you. No wonder the Democratic National Committee, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have been in a panic over President Trump’s executive order cracking down on mail-in voting and the SAVE America Act.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) seemed to acknowledge that his party is dropping the ball ahead of the midterms.
"I’m proud of so many things that my Democratic colleagues are doing, but as a whole, our party has failed this moment," he said in an interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press last weekend.
CNN: Democrats' approval of their leaders is at a historic low.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 2, 2026
"Even Democrats don't like their own leaders when it comes to Congress, and overall, of course, the numbers are just absolutely awful." pic.twitter.com/niPzEM3U5K
Whether these numbers translate into election results remains to be seen. There are a ton of Democratic voters who would likely hold their nose and vote for the party just to spite the President.
But any notion that the Democrats are coasting to a clean sweep in both chambers is certainly up for debate.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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