Vice President JD Vance received a more positive assessment than President Donald Trump in a recent Cook Political Report poll, while both parties were still ranked as unpopular among voters.
The poll, conducted by CPR in collaboration with New River Strategies and GS Strategy Group, asked over 1,000 likely voters across 36 competitive districts about topics relating to the 2026 midterm elections and party favorability.
When asked about their opinions about several high-profile politicians, 56% of respondents reported an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 53% had a negative view of Vance. The two tied at 42% for total favorability among the sample.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) told the Washington Examiner that she is hopeful for a 2028 presidential ticket with Vance’s name on top and offered her endorsement. She said a choice between Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has also been floated as a possible presidential candidate, would be a difficult one, saying she would like to see party unity when the time comes.
However, Republicans will face a difficult midterm election season as voters aren’t rallying behind the GOP and Trump’s idea that former President Joe Biden is to blame for the struggling economy. The CPR poll showed 50% of voters blamed Trump and Republicans for their economic anxieties, compared to the 41% who blamed Biden and the Democrats.
Overall, both sides of the aisle are viewed as “out of touch” by voters, with 61% of respondents saying Democrats are disconnected from “people like you” and 59% felt similarly about Republicans.
Democrats hold the edge on the issues that voters most care about in the midterm elections, the poll showed, as they polled higher than Republicans in nearly every category.
Topics such as the economy, the cost of living, the war in Iran, immigration enforcement operations, Jeffrey Epstein files, and tariffs all led likely voters to favor Democrats. Republicans only polled higher on the topic of border security.
James Blair, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, offered a more optimistic outlook for Republicans in the midterm elections.
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Blair told CNN’s Dana Bash that the midterm elections are not a referendum on the president but rather a choice between Democrats and Republicans. He said voters will decide who they trust more on issues they care about.
On the topic of trust, CPR poll respondents said the greater concern is that Republican lawmakers “will never put the brakes on Trump,” with 52% saying that worries them more than Democrats placing too much focus on impeaching the president, which concerned 48% of respondents.