In light of the tireless efforts of the administration of US President Donald Trump to tighten the federal government’s control over the voting processes less than 50 days before the midterm elections for Congress, a new poll showed the Democrats clearly ahead of the Republicans in the battle to control the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The political circumstances revealed by the poll, which was conducted by the New York Times and the University of Siena, suggest the features of a possible democratic wave in the upcoming November 3 elections. But this result is not guaranteed. Due to changes in electoral districts, there are relatively few House seats that are truly contested, and in the period leading up to these elections, Republicans drew new House maps in several states to favor the results of their candidates.
It was also found that likely voters favored Democratic candidates over Republicans by about nine percentage points in their districts, an indicator that both parties closely monitor as a key sign of political momentum.
Even if they achieve a lead of nearly nine points, they will not guarantee winning some of the Senate seats that Democrats aspire to in 2026, in Texas, Ohio, Alaska, and Iowa, which Trump won by a large margin in 2024.
Low popularity
According to the poll, President Trump's popularity remains at its lowest levels despite the slight improvement that has occurred recently.
Trump's approval rating continued to decline to 38 percent among likely voters, a percentage that has remained almost unchanged from the lowest levels it reached after he declared war on Iran. The majority of voters expressed their dissatisfaction with Trump's handling of all the major issues included in the survey: the economy, immigration, tariffs, and war, especially the high cost of living.
Voters reported that they trust Democrats more than Republicans, not only on health care issues and foreign wars, but also on the two issues that contributed to Trump’s victory in 2024; That is, immigration and the economy.
In addition, independent voters' confidence in Trump has declined significantly. Only 10 percent said the economy today is better than it was a year ago, and only 27 percent are satisfied with Trump's performance in general. In the battle for Congress, 57 percent of independent voters said they intend to vote for a Democratic candidate, compared to only 34 percent for a Republican candidate.
The high cost of living is one of the issues that most negatively affects Republicans, to the point that some of their voters are losing confidence in Trump’s economy. Only 28 percent of voters expressed satisfaction with Trump's handling of affordability issues.
Even Trump's most loyal demographic base, white voters without college degrees, did not support the president's handling of the high cost of living by a significant margin of 21 percentage points.
The poll showed an increase in opposition to Trump, reaching 52 percent. The war in Iran, which has raised gasoline prices to more than $4 a gallon, is also casting a shadow over the president. More than three-quarters of independent voters expressed dissatisfaction with his handling of the conflict, as did nearly a quarter of Trump's 2024 voters.
Weaknesses and strengths
Also, the poll revealed that the Republican Party's weaknesses are not limited to Trump alone. Voters generally see Republicans as more extremist, elitist, and corrupt than Democrats. While voters remain skeptical of both parties, the poll showed a greater leaning toward the Democratic Party on cultural and economic issues than toward the Republican Party.
The good news for Republicans is that the political situation has not deteriorated further since the spring. It is true that Trump is unpopular, but his popularity is no worse than it was five months ago.
In contrast, the Democratic Party is seen as far-left. Republicans generally outperform Trump in opinion polls, including on how they handle specific issues.
However, by 11 points, voters favored Democratic control of Congress after the November election. The current Democratic advantage in the congressional battle is largely due to young voters, with those under 30 preferring Democrats by 35 percentage points, Hispanic voters by 43 points, and independent voters by 23 points; These are all categories whose support the party witnessed a decline in 2024.
Trump's support rate among voters under the age of 30 is only 18 percent, which is a very low percentage.
The decline among Republicans is particularly pronounced. While 72 percent of them said last January that the economy was better than it was the previous year, this percentage has fallen to only 29 percent now.
The United States acknowledged for the first time publicly, on Monday, that it had deployed weapons in space, in a remarkable shift in a policy that Washington had followed for decades, during which it avoided talking explicitly about weaponizing orbit. The American revelation raised questions about the military competition with China and Russia entering a new phase in which space becomes a potential arena for direct confrontation, and not just a platform for communications, surveillance, and early warning.
On Tuesday, China was quick to demand that the United States “stop preparing for war” in space, warning against igniting a new arms race. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun said: “We urge the American side to stop expanding its military capabilities and prepare for war in outer space.”
US Air Force Secretary Troy Mink announced on Monday that the United States now has weapons for space control in orbit, capable of defending US forces against any hostile move. The announcement came during the annual conference of the Air and Space Forces Association in National Harbor near Washington. Mink declined to reveal the type or number of these weapons or the orbits in which they operate when he was asked about it, stressing that the choice of his words was carefully considered.
US Space Force
President Donald Trump praised the “US Space Force,” which he established in 2019 as part of the Air Force, describing it as a historic step to strengthen American defense capabilities in light of an escalating arms race, as both China and Russia challenge American dominance in space.
The US Space Force indicates on its website that “China is developing and operating space and counter-space capabilities as part of its military modernization strategy,” while “Russia views space as an arena for combat operations, and believes that space superiority will be a decisive factor in future conflicts.”
Air & Space Forces magazine described the announcement as the Pentagon's clearest acknowledgment to date that the United States possesses offensive capabilities operating in space, while Breaking Defense, which specializes in military affairs, said it was the first public acknowledgment by an American official that Washington had deployed weapons systems orbiting the Earth. As for the Financial Times, it linked the American revelation to the accelerating expansion of Chinese and Russian military programs in orbit.
Intentional ambiguity
Washington did not disclose the nature of the weapons, and experts believe that this ambiguity is deliberate. The term “space control” in American military doctrine is broad, and includes the defense of American and allied satellites, as well as offensive capabilities to disable the opponent’s space systems or deprive him of their use. Therefore, the declaration does not necessarily mean the deployment of conventional missiles or missiles in orbit.
Specialists believe that American capabilities include means of jamming communications and deceiving signals, or laser beams that can confuse sensors on enemy satellites. Such weapons allow the disabling of a satellite without exploding it, and avoid the production of huge quantities of space debris that could also threaten American satellites.
The decision to reveal these capabilities carries a strategic significance in itself. Washington is moving from a policy of ambiguity to what can be described as “declared deterrence,” based on the fact that China and Russia have been developing capabilities to attack or disable American satellites for years, and that demonstrating the United States’ ability to respond could make its opponents more cautious. But critics warn of the opposite outcome; That is, the announcement will accelerate Moscow and Beijing's programs and turn the current competition into a declared space arms race.
American-Chinese race
Reuters revealed in early September the extent of the acceleration of American-Chinese competition in space. In June, a secret Chinese unmanned space plane launched a small satellite that performed complex maneuvers near another Chinese satellite before returning toward the space plane.
In contrast, the United States operates a similar secret military space plane, according to reports. The agency indicated that the two countries are developing what resemble “hunter satellites,” capable of approaching and maneuvering around other spacecraft. These capabilities can be used for peaceful purposes, but they gain military importance in the event that a future war extends into orbit.
The American disclosure coincided with the Space Command’s conduct, this month, of the first actual combat maneuver training in orbit under the name “Apollo Manovers 2026,” during which it tested moving vehicles in a coordinated manner across different orbits and working with allies in a contested space environment.
The Washington Post observed this shift within the Space Force, noting that space war does not necessarily mean destroying satellites. The goal may be to disrupt its signals, disrupt communications and navigation, or deprive the opponent of the images and targeting data that his forces on the ground need.
US Vice President J.D. Vance's speech in Kansas turned into a confrontation with a demonstrator, after the protester interrupted his speech with a chant targeting Republican Senator Roger Marshall and his record of suing patients for medical debts. While security personnel were taking the demonstrator out of the hall, Vance accused him of lying and defended Marshall, in an incident reminiscent of a similar incident that occurred a few days ago in Dallas, during the Republican convention for the midterm elections.
In detail, a demonstrator interrupted J.D. Vance’s speech during an election event in Kansas in support of Republican Senator Roger Marshall, before security intervened to remove him from the hall amid chants in support of Vance and the United States.
The boycott came after the demonstrator chanted, referring to Marshall: “He is suing his patients!”, in protest against the record of the senator, who worked as a doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology before entering the Senate.
A protester confronts Vance over suing patients
The New York Times reported that Marshall filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients over unpaid medical bills, and 81 of them ended up being arrested after they failed to attend court hearings related to the debts.
When Marshall was asked about the issue during Saturday's debate, he said, according to the Kansas City Star, that he used "common business practices."
But Vance accused the protester of lying about the senator, before indicating his presence to the audience, saying: “I see we have a man protesting.”
The crowd met the demonstrator with boos and chants of “United States,” while security personnel took him out of the place.
Vance defends Marshall and accuses the pretender of lying
Vance said the protester decided to come to the event to "lie" about Marshall, calling the senator his "very dear friend."
He added that Marshall "stood alongside ordinary Americans every day" since he entered the Senate.
But Vance's comments came despite Marshall and his office confirming that he had already sued patients for medical debt, an issue the protester raised during the vice president's speech.
Not for the first time... Vance expels a protester in Dallas
The Kansas incident was not the first time Vance had confronted a protester during a political event in recent days.
In Dallas, during the Republican convention for the midterm elections in September, a demonstrator interrupted Vance's speech while waving the Mexican flag, and he was also carrying the Palestinian flag. The demonstrator attracted the attention of the Vice President, before security intervened to remove him from the hall.
Vance responded to the protester, saying, in reference to his attachment to Mexico, that if he loved it that much he could go there, and offered to pay for his plane ticket. He also described him as an “idiot,” according to Wall Street Journal coverage.
The Dallas incident, and then the Kansas incident, brought to light Vance's handling of boycotts and protests during political events in which he addressed Republican voters.
