Washington — NBC Exit Poll: Economy, Trump Drove 2026 Blue Wave

Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's midterms, flipping as many as seven Senate seats and at least 29 House seats, according to NBC News. The NBC News Exit Poll, which surveyed more than 79,000 voters nationwide, attributed the shift to economic pessimism, declining views of the Republican Party and a rejection of President Donald Trump, NBC News reported.

How was the poll conducted?

The exit poll was run by the NBC News Exit Poll Desk, led by Patrick J. Egan and Stephanie Perry, and drew on responses from more than 79,000 voters surveyed as they left polling places Tuesday, according to the network. NBC News did not publish a margin of error in the write-up reviewed for this report, and exit-poll estimates can shift as additional precinct data is incorporated.

How negative were voters on the economy?

Seventy-five percent of voters rated the national economy as "not so good" or "poor," the poll found. More than 80% said they were worried about the cost of living, according to NBC News. The figures point to broad economic discontent as a central driver of the result, though the poll stopped short of isolating the economy as the sole cause.

Did voters say the system favors the wealthy?

Sixty-nine percent of respondents said the U.S. economic system favors the wealthy, versus 31% who said it favors most Americans, NBC News reported. That gap suggests many voters who turned out Tuesday viewed the broader economic structure, not just short-term conditions, as tilted against them.

How does this compare with the 2024 result?

NBC News described Tuesday's outcome as a reversal from two years earlier, when the country was "hit by a red wave." The network's exit poll desk framed the swing as a sign that voter sentiment on the economy and the president can move sharply between election cycles, though the poll itself did not quantify how individual voters changed their choices since 2024.

What other factors did the poll identify?

Beyond economic pessimism, NBC News said Democratic candidates were viewed more favorably than Republicans in the exit poll, and that the GOP's own image declined among voters. The network also reported shifts toward Democrats among Latino voters and Black men, two blocs whose movement was cited as part of the broader result. NBC News characterized the overall verdict on Trump as a "resounding rejection," based on the poll's findings, though the network's published excerpt did not include a specific approval or disapproval figure for the president.

What remains uncertain?

Exit polls rely on self-reported voter perceptions gathered on a single day and carry sampling limits common to all survey research. The version of the NBC News analysis available for this report presented five initial findings and did not include the poll's full methodology section, margin of error, or demographic crosstabs beyond the figures cited above. Readers can review the full NBC News Exit Poll report for additional detail as it becomes available.

mindfulAI Keyboard — An iPhone keyboard that rewrites a draft in a tone you pick. Four free AI actions a day.