New poll reveals how Trump's low approval might affect midterms

With early voting for the midterm elections already under way, President Trump has been encouraging supporters to think of the contest as though he himself were on the ballot. A new poll conducted jointly by PBS News, NPR and the Marist Poll indicates voters are, in effect, doing exactly that, treating the midterms as a referendum on his presidency. That framing appears to work against him: the same survey shows Democratic congressional candidates holding a significant lead over their Republican rivals nationally, a sign that dissatisfaction with Trump could translate into losses for his party in November, according to PBS NewsHour.

PBS News correspondent Lisa Desjardins, who covers Capitol Hill and reports on how decisions made in Washington affect people around the country, walked through the poll's findings for viewers. She described the numbers as notable given that Trump's name will not actually appear on any ballot this cycle, yet his standing with the public still seems to be shaping how voters plan to cast their votes in House and Senate races. Desjardins presented the results as evidence that a president's low approval can weigh on his party's congressional prospects, underscoring that the midterms are unfolding as much around Trump himself as around the individual candidates on the ballot.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →