Jeffries approval rating trails Johnson amid voter discontent
The gist
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had 26 percent approval and 47 percent disapproval in a final pre-election poll, trailing Speaker Mike Johnson's 32 percent.
Democrats won both chambers anyway, and petitions now demand new party leadership.
How it unfolded
- Oct 23, 2026 –26, 2026The final Economist/YouGov poll before Election Day, surveying 1,440 registered voters with a margin of error of about 3 points, found 26 percent approved of Jeffries' job performance and 47 percent disapproved; Johnson stood at 32 percent approval and 45 percent disapproval.
- Nov 3, 2026Democrats swept the midterms, flipping seven Senate seats and more than 40 House seats, putting Jeffries on a clear path to the speaker's gavel.
- Nov 5, 2026A petition shared by actor and activist Mark Ruffalo urging House Democrats to replace Jeffries passed 600,000 signatures; an NBC poll that week put Jeffries' approval at 18 percent among voters and Schumer's at 13 percent.
Key terms
- House Minority Leader
- The floor leader of the party holding fewer seats in the U.S. House, who coordinates legislation and speaks for that party.
- Speaker
- The presiding officer of the US House of Representatives, who leads the chamber and its majority party.
- midterms
- US general elections held near the midpoint of a president's four-year term, when all House seats and about a third of Senate seats are contested.
Source: Wikipedia