Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Voters who supported Kamala Harris in 2024 are substantially more enthusiastic about voting in November’s midterm elections than those who backed Donald Trump, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The gap could pose a challenge for Republicans in a contest where turning out committed supporters may matter as much as persuading undecided voters.
The survey found that 48% of Harris voters said they were very enthusiastic about casting a ballot, compared with 30% of Trump voters. That 18-percentage-point difference comes as both parties prepare for the November 3 elections, when control of Congress will be at stake.
Midterms typically draw fewer voters than presidential elections. That makes the level of motivation among each party’s supporters a significant factor: a group that is less eager to vote may be less likely to show up, even if its members still favor their party’s candidates. The poll offers a snapshot of current sentiment, not a prediction of turnout or the eventual results.
The survey, conducted online from September 30 to October 5, questioned 4,506 U.S. adults. Trump voters also appeared less settled in their congressional preferences than Harris voters. Thirteen percent of those who backed Trump said they were unsure which party they would support, compared with 7% of Harris voters.
The poll suggests that the Republican challenge is not simply persuading Trump supporters to choose Republican candidates. Many still intend to do so, but a less certain and less enthusiastic electorate could make it harder for the party to convert that preference into votes. Republican strategist Charlie Gerow said turnout would be decisive and argued that the party needed to energize its supporters.
Democrats, meanwhile, may be drawing motivation from opposition to the president. Among respondents who said they were enthusiastic about voting, 62% said they were motivated by a desire to oppose Trump, while 36% said they wanted to show support for him. That finding points to the role of the president himself in shaping the election: for some voters, the midterms may be a referendum on Trump rather than a straightforward contest between the parties’ congressional platforms.
The broader poll also found Trump’s approval rating at 32%, a low point in Reuters/Ipsos polling during his second term. Support has fallen across multiple demographic groups since he returned to office in January 2025, including men, Hispanic voters, people without college degrees, and residents of rural and suburban areas.
One potentially consequential shift appears among men, who supported Trump by a substantial margin in 2024. Asked how they would vote in a congressional election if it were held at the time of the survey, men favored Democrats over Republicans, 43% to 39%. It was the widest Democratic advantage among men recorded in polling during Trump’s second term. Men had generally leaned Republican in 2025, but their preferences have moved toward Democrats since August.
Economic worries appear to be contributing to the political mood. The cost of living was the issue voters most often identified as important to their midterm choices, followed by democratic values and immigration. Higher gasoline and diesel prices have added to household concerns, while the conflict with Iran has become a focus of criticism. Trump campaigned on reducing consumer costs and avoiding new wars, but authorized attacks on Iran in February.
Republicans retain an advantage among older voters, a group that tends to participate at relatively high rates in midterm elections. Voters aged 50 and older preferred Republicans over Democrats by 44% to 42%. But that two-point edge is narrower than the eight-point Republican advantage recorded in December.
The survey’s results should be read as indicators of political engagement at one point in a fast-moving campaign. Enthusiasm can change as candidates, events and election issues shift, and polling responses do not guarantee that people will vote. The margin of error is also larger for subgroups than for the full sample.
Even so, the contrast is notable: Harris voters were more likely to say they were highly motivated, while Trump voters were more likely to be undecided about their congressional choice. For Republicans, the task is to turn continued party preference into participation. For Democrats, sustaining their current motivation and translating opposition to Trump into votes for congressional candidates will be equally important.
