A new Marquette Law School Poll national survey, conducted following the Nov. 5 elections in New Jersey, Virginia, and elsewhere, finds that 49% of U.S. registered voters expect to vote for a Democrat and 44% expect to vote for a Republican in congressional elections in 2026. Among those who say they are certain to vote, 53% say they will vote for a Democrat and 44% for a Republican.

The poll was conducted Nov. 5-12, 2025, among 1,052 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.3 percentage points. There are 903 registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-3.5 percentage points, and 602 likely voters (those who say they are certain to vote in November), with a margin of error of +/-4.3 percentage points. The poll was conducted entirely after the Nov. 4 elections in New Jersey, Virginia, and elsewhere. Seven percent of the sample were interviewed after the Senate voted to end the federal government shutdown on Nov. 9, but all interviews were completed before the House voted on Nov. 12. The survey therefore does not capture reactions to the end of the shutdown.

Interviews were conducted using the SSRS Opinion Panel, a national probability sample with interviews conducted online. Certain other data from this survey (focusing on public views of the Supreme Court) are held for release on Nov. 20. The detailed methodology statement, survey instrument, topline results, and crosstabs for this release are available on the Marquette Law Poll website.

Contact us to learn more about the SSRS Opinion Panel.