President Donald Trump remains politically vulnerable across much of the country, posting positive approval ratings in just 10 states as Republicans fight to hold narrow House and Senate majorities.
Early voting in Tennessee began on Oct. 14 and runs through Oct. 29. During this period, millions of Tennessee residents will cast their ballots for the next governor, one U.S. senator, nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and state Senate and House members.
In addition to voting in the midterm elections, residents will also vote on three amendments to the state's constitution.
Here's a look at Trump's approval ratings in Tennessee as early voting gets continues.
Trump struggling ahead of midterms
Trump's weak numbers arrive as Democrats continue to gain momentum in congressional
polling, raising the stakes for Republicans heading into the final weeks of the campaign.
A Cygnal poll released Oct. 13 found Democrats leading Republicans by 9 percentage points. An Economist/YouGov poll released Oct. 14 showed Democrats ahead by 11 points.
If those numbers hold through Election Day, Democrats could regain control of one or both chambers of Congress while putting traditionally Republican-held seats into play.
In Texas, where no Democrat has won statewide office this century, Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton by 2 percentage points in a recent Marist University poll. In Kansas, Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton holds a 3-point lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in a recent YouGov survey.
What are Trump's approval ratings?
Silver Bulletin
Most recent Trump approval rating according to Pollster Nate Silver's “Silver Bulletin” newsletter (Oct. 19, 2026):
- Favorable: 37.5%
- Unfavorable: 59.9%
- Net Approval: -22.3%
New York Times
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest New York Times poll (Oct. 20, 2026):
- Favorable: 37%
- Unfavorable: 61%
- Net Approval: -24%
Rasmussen
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest Rasmussen poll (Oct. 19, 2026):
- Favorable: 43%
- Unfavorable: 55%
- Net Approval: -12%
The Economist
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest polling from The Economist (Oct. 19, 2026):
- Favorable: 34%
- Unfavorable: 61%
- Not sure: 4%
- Net Approval: -27%
Civiqs
Most recent Trump approval rating according to the latest Civiqs poll (Oct. 19, 2026):
- Favorable: 32%
- Unfavorable: 61%
- Not sure: 7%
- Net Approval: -29%
Reuters/Ipsos
Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll (Oct. 19, 2026):
- Favorable: 31%
- Unfavorable: 66%
- Net Approval: -35%
What is Trump's approval rating in Tennessee?
Civiqs polls, last updated Oct. 19, indicate Trump's approval in Tennessee has increased slightly but remains negative.
Trump first recorded a negative approval rating in Tennessee on Aug. 18, when 47% of voters disapproved and 46% approved. Since then, the numbers have widened, with the largest gap at -4 on Sept. 12, when 48% disapproved and 44% approved.
As of mid-October, 44% of residents approve of his performance, 48% disapprove, and 8% are neutral. This is a negative 3-point net approval rating, the difference between approval and disapproval.
Trump's net approval in Tennessee began at 24% when he took office, declined to 7% by late 2025, and has not risen above 5% since May 5. During his first term, he started with a 17% net rating and ended with 11%.
The polling numbers for Tennessee were also broken down by age, education, gender, race and party.
- Age: Adults ages 18-34 expressed the highest level of unfavorable views of Trump (64%), while those 65 and older were the most favorable (59%).
- Education: Only non-college graduates have a positive approval rating for the president at 46%. Conversely, 51% of college graduates disapprove, and 61% of postgraduates also disapprove.
- Gender: Men and women are split slightly on Trump, with 53% of women disapproving and 49% of men expressing a positive view of the president.
- Party: Among political parties, Democrats and independents both disapprove of the president, at rates of 98% and 59%, respectively. Unsurprisingly, 74% of Republicans view Trump's performance positively.
- Race: Results by race show that voters of color have a predominantly negative view of Trump. In Tennessee, 90% of Black voters, 54% of Hispanic/Latino voters, and 50% of voters identified as "other" disapprove. In contrast, Trump has a small approval rating among white voters at 50%.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal and Tennessee. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Trump's Tennessee approval rating stays negative ahead of midterms
