A majority say their minds are made up as to who they will vote for in the midterm elections, but a sizable portion still could be swayed, a recent weekly survey from the Economist/YouGov revealed.
Among respondents with Senate races in their state, the survey asked, “In the election for U.S. Senator from [state], would you consider voting for a different candidate, or is your mind made up?”
Over three-quarters – 78 percent – said their mind is “made up,” and while that is a majority, there is a sizable portion of respondents who either say they would consider voting for a different candidate or remain undecided altogether.
Ten percent said they would “consider voting for a different candidate,” followed by seven percent who remain undecided. It is a significant total for races that are particularly neck and neck, such as the race in Ohio between Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) and Democrat Sherrod Brown.
Most Democrats, Republicans, and independents – 89 percent, 77 percent, and 69 percent, respectively – say their mind is made up. But among independents 11 percent said they would consider voting for a different candidate, and 12 percent said they remain undecided.
The survey asked voters a similar question regarding congressional races in their respective districts. The survey asked, “Would you consider voting for a different candidate, or is your mind made up?”
Across the board, 80 percent said their mind is made up. Another seven percent said they would consider voting for another candidate, and eight percent remain decided. Once again, that margin – 15 percent combined – is more than enough to swing tight races in either direction.
Again, while most Democrats, Republicans, and independents say their mind is made up, 15 percent of independents say they remain undecided, and eight percent said they would consider voting for another candidate altogether.
Beyond that, respondents in this poll seem to believe it is more likely that Democrats will have control of the House after the election – 43 percent to 30 percent who believe it will be Republicans. Similarly, 40 percent of respondents believe the Democrats will take control of the Senate, while 35 percent believe Republicans will maintain control. However, a quarter of respondents indicated that they are not sure who will take control of the upper chamber.
The survey was taken October 10–12, 2026, weeks ahead of the November 3 election. The margin of error is ± 3.5% (adjusted for weighting).
The Cook Political Report currently lists seven Senate races as tossups between Democrats and Republicans – the races in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. The same report lists 21 congressional races as tossups, which includes six blue seats and 15 red seats. Beyond that, it lists 21 more races that are categorized as either lean Democrat or lean Republican.
President Trump has continued his midterm blitz as Election Day draws closer, holding rallies for races in key states like Ohio and Alaska this week with more to come in Georgia, Kentucky, Kansas, and North Carolina.
