A former Republican strategist says fresh polling is intensifying fears inside the GOP that November’s midterms could turn into a brutal wipeout.
Rick Wilson, co-founder of the anti-Donald Trump The Lincoln Project, wrote in his Substack that a run of recent surveys signals growing danger for Republican candidates as President Donald Trump’s approval ratings sink. Wilson argued the core problem is straightforward: voters are souring on Trump, and the MAGA coalition is showing visible strain.
“Apropos of the 2026 elections, Trump is increasingly a boat anchor around the necks of Republican candidates,” Wilson wrote. “I’ve been a professional consumer of polling for three decades, and the absolute crashout of Trump’s polling is like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
The New York Times/Siena Poll published on Jan. 17 pointed to warning signs for the GOP, with 56% of respondents disapproving of Trump’s job performance as president.
“Catastrophic. 2026 is teeing up to be a bloodbath,” Wilson wrote.
Trump has faced a string of unfavorable polling results in recent weeks, and he has even called for criminal charges to be filed against pollsters after The New York Times published results he disliked following a new survey this week that found his reputation slipping further.
