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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump’s net approval rating is negative in six of the seven states where Democrats flipped Republican-held Senate seats in the 2026 midterm elections, according to new polling.
Democrats gained seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, securing control of the Senate. They won historically difficult territory, including the first Democratic Senate victories in Kansas since 1932 and Texas since 1988.
It followed a campaign blitz in which Trump repeatedly urged supporters to behave as if he were personally on the ballot. This tied Republican candidates’ fortunes more closely to his presidency.
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The latest Civiqs tracker, based on 140,524 responses from registered voters between January 20, 2025, and November 3, 2026, showed Trump with 33 percent approval and 60 percent disapproval nationally.
In the seven flipped states, his net approval ranged from even in Kansas to minus 33 in Maine.
A White House official told Newsweek that the mood within the administration was "defiant." They said Trump was not personally on the ballot and that candidate quality had played an important role in the Republican losses.
The official said Trump had sometimes done more to promote Republican candidates than the candidates themselves. They added that voters who backed Democrats would experience "buyers’ remorse" if gas prices fell after the Iran conflict was resolved.
"Regardless of how today plays out, President Trump’s resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger," the official added. "Buckle up."
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Use the map below to compare Trump’s approval ratings in the seven states where Democrats gained Senate seats.
Why It Matters
Midterm elections are frequently treated as referendums on the president and the party controlling Washington.
That dynamic was particularly relevant in 2026 because Republicans controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress going into Election Day.
Trump’s Ratings in the Flipped States
The Civiqs figures for November 3 show:
- Maine: minus 33
- Ohio: minus 19
- Iowa: minus 20
- North Carolina: minus 18
- Texas: minus 19
- South Carolina: minus 12
- Kansas: even
Kansas
Adam Hamilton, a pastor who founded the country’s largest United Methodist congregation, defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall and Libertarian David Graham.
Hamilton campaigned as a moderate focused on lowering the cost of fuel, groceries, housing and health care, while criticizing tariffs and war.
Trump’s net approval was down 23 points from plus 23 at the start of his second term.
The Associated Press (AP) called the race for Hamilton, who led Marshall by 50.9 percent to 46.1 percent with an estimated 99 percent of votes counted.
Hamilton’s advantage was 4.8 percentage points and 53,184 votes, with Graham receiving 3 percent.
Texas
James Talarico, a state representative and former public-school teacher, defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the open seat.
Talarico framed the contest around economic inequality and political division. Paxton promised to advance Trump’s agenda on taxes, immigration and government.
The victory made Talarico the first Democrat elected statewide in Texas since 1994.
Trump’s net approval in the Lone Star State is 25 points below its level at the start of his term.
AP called the race for Talarico, who led Paxton by 55.1 percent to 43 percent with an estimated 94 percent counted.
Talarico’s margin was 12.1 percentage points and 1,150,784 votes, while Libertarian Ted Brown received 1.9 percent.
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South Carolina
Annie Andrews defeated appointed Republican Senator Darline Graham, who had been selected to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator Lindsey Graham.
Andrews led Graham by 51.1 percent to 46.7 percent, according to the latest AP count, a margin of 4.4 percentage points and 91,197 votes with an estimated 99 percent counted.
The result marked South Carolina’s first election of a Democratic senator since 1998. Trump’s net approval was down 23 points from plus 11 in January 2025.
North Carolina
Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper defeated former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley for the open seat created by Republican Senator Thom Tillis’ retirement.
Cooper campaigned on reversing tariffs and his record of working with the Republican-controlled state legislature, while Whatley emphasized public safety and his support for Trump’s agenda.
The victory was the first by a Democratic Senate candidate in North Carolina since 2008 and the party’s first open-seat victory there since 1974.
Trump’s net approval rating in the state was down from even at the start of his term.
AP called the race for Cooper, who led Whatley by 58.7 percent to 39.1 percent with an estimated 99 percent counted.
Cooper’s advantage was 19.6 percentage points and 824,875 votes, with the two minor-party candidates sharing the remaining 2.2 percent.
Maine
Troy Jackson, a former Maine Senate president and self-employed logger, defeated five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Jackson entered the race after Democrats selected him at a convention to replace their original nominee, and he campaigned on an economic-populist message focused on working people and corporate power.
Collins became the first senator since 2000 to lose a general-election bid for a sixth term. Trump’s net approval in Maine was the weakest figure among the seven flipped states.
AP’s latest count showed Jackson leading Collins by 53.8 percent to 46.1 percent with an estimated 86 percent counted. That amounted to a 7.7-point lead and a margin of 49,032 votes at the time of writing.
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Ohio
Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown defeated appointed Republican Senator Jon Husted in the special election for the remaining two years of the term originally won by Vice President JD Vance.
Brown campaigned against tax breaks for corporations and billionaires, while Husted emphasized tax cuts, job creation and career education.
The result returned Brown to the Senate two years after his 2024 defeat. Trump’s net approval stood 28 points below its January 2025 level of plus 8.
AP called the special election for Brown, who led Republican Senator Jon Husted by 50 percent to 45.2 percent with an estimated 99 percent counted.
Brown’s advantage was 4.8 percentage points and 223,294 votes, while the two other candidates together received 4.9 percent.
Iowa
Democratic State Representative Josh Turek, a former professional wheelchair-basketball player and Paralympic medalist, defeated Republican Representative Ashley Hinson for the open seat being vacated by Senator Joni Ernst.
Turek presented himself as a bipartisan legislator capable of winning Trump-supporting territory. Hinson campaigned as an ally of the president on border security, spending and economic policy.
The result gave Iowa its first Democratic senator since 2008.
Trump’s net approval was down 25 points from plus 6 when his term began.
AP called the race for Turek, who led Hinson by 50.5 percent to 46.4 percent with an estimated 98 percent counted. Turek’s margin was 4.1 percentage points and 55,872 votes, while Libertarian Thomas Laehn received 3.1 percent.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sam Stevenson and James Debens
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