Democrats are ahead in national polls, but key Senate races remain tight six days before the 2026 us midterms

National mood and tight races

A Reuters/Ipsos poll puts Democrats nine points ahead of Republicans with less than a week until Election Day. Trump’s approval rating rose one percentage point to 32 percent, while 73 percent of US adults said the cost of living was moving in the wrong direction.

The national advantage has not settled the outlook in several Senate contests. Republicans are especially concerned about races in Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa, where small third-party vote shares could affect the result.

Battles in Kansas and Texas

Kansas has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932, but Republican incumbent Roger Marshall is in a close race with Democrat Adam Hamilton. Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane said Trump and JD Vance’s visits reflected that the state is in play.

In Texas, Trump campaigned in Corpus Christi and pointed to a tanker he said carried one million barrels of Venezuelan oil. He described it as an administration success and floated the idea of Venezuela becoming the 51st US state. Fuel prices are a major election issue as the US-Israel war on Iran continues, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Trump for a rare campaign appearance in Texas.

Ohio and North Carolina contests

Trump was scheduled to speak in Chillicothe at 23:00 GMT. Republican Senator Jon Husted, who took Vance’s former seat after Vance became vice president, is running against Sherrod Brown, who is seeking to return to the Senate after losing in 2024.

Vance was expected to campaign in Kinston, North Carolina, for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who faces former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. Vance’s speech was scheduled for 16:30 GMT.

Georgia and Wisconsin updates

In Georgia, Ossoff is running against Republican Mike Collins, while Bottoms faces Republican Rick Jackson in the governor’s race. Trump carried Georgia in the 2024 presidential election. Marquette Law School was set to release its latest statewide Wisconsin poll at 18:15 GMT.