Democratic Lead Narrows in Generic Congressional Ballot
How the ballot has moved (3 readings)
ActiVote’s August 24, 2026 Generic Congressional Ballot poll finds that the Democrats lead the Republicans by 3.5%. The poll was in the field between August 10 and August 24 (median field date of August 18). The poll was among 1000 likely midterm voters and has an average expected error of 3.1%.
The Republicans lead among rural voters, voters 50 and older, men, registered Republicans, White voters and the (moderate) right. The two parties are within a point of each other among low-income voters. Democrats lead among all other groups, including suburban and urban voters, voters under 50, women, independents, Black and Latino voters, and at every level of education.
Compared with our August 9 poll, the Democratic lead narrowed from 5.0% to 3.5%, a move smaller than the poll’s expected error. Both parties tightened their hold on their own side, with the Republicans now taking 93% of registered Republicans and the Democrats 91% of registered Democrats. What changed is the middle: the Democrats lost ground among independents (from 60% to 55%), voters with a graduate degree (from 59% to 53%), White voters (from 49% to 47%), men (from 45% to 43%) and low-income voters (from 52% to 50%). Their support held among Black voters (63% to 62%) and rose among Latino voters (from 52% to 55%). These group figures rest on subsamples for which the expected error is considerably larger than the 3.1% for the poll as a whole.
Political Spectrum
The following graph shows the support for Democrats and Republicans among left, moderate left, center, moderate right, and right voters. These groups are defined by splitting the national electorate in 5 equal sized groups of 20% each
The left (99%) and the moderate left (95%) are virtually unanimous in their support for the Democrats, as is the right (98%) in its support for the Republicans, with the moderate right at a slightly lower level (91%). The Democrats hold a 4% lead among centrists, down from 6% earlier this month and 8% in June.
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 | 1000 LV | Unweighted | Weighted | Generic Democrat | Generic Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | ±3.1% MoE | 100% | 100% | 51.7% | 48.3% |
| Political Spectrum | Left | 29% | 20% | 99% | 1% |
| Moderate Left | 36% | 20% | 95% | 5% | |
| Center | 13% | 20% | 52% | 48% | |
| Moderate Right | 11% | 20% | 9% | 91% | |
| Right | 11% | 20% | 2% | 98% | |
| Region | rural | 39% | 35% | 41% | 59% |
| suburban | 33% | 31% | 51% | 49% | |
| urban | 28% | 34% | 64% | 36% | |
| Age | 18-29 | 27% | 14% | 64% | 36% |
| 30-49 | 40% | 27% | 57% | 43% | |
| 50-64 | 19% | 24% | 48% | 52% | |
| 65+ | 14% | 36% | 45% | 55% | |
| Gender | F | 32% | 53% | 59% | 41% |
| M | 68% | 47% | 43% | 57% | |
| Party | D | 52% | 38% | 91% | 9% |
| R | 25% | 35% | 7% | 93% | |
| I | 21% | 24% | 55% | 45% | |
| Ethnicity | White | 80% | 71% | 47% | 53% |
| Black | 8% | 10% | 62% | 38% | |
| Latino | 7% | 12% | 55% | 45% | |
| Income | Low | 25% | 22% | 50% | 50% |
| Middle | 31% | 29% | 53% | 47% | |
| High | 44% | 49% | 52% | 48% | |
| Education | HS | 25% | 25% | 52% | 48% |
| College | 65% | 60% | 51% | 49% | |
| Grad | 10% | 16% | 53% | 47% |
Every reading
| Published | Democrat | Republican | Gap | Sample | MoE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 24, 2026 | 51.7% | 48.3% | D+3.4% | 1000 | ±3.1% |
| August 9, 2026 | 52.5% | 47.5% | D+5.0% | 1000 | ±3.1% |
| June 29, 2026 | 52.6% | 47.4% | D+5.2% | 1000 | ±3.1% |