Analysis
Most major-party House backers ruled out the other party
In CBS News/YouGov’s October 21–23 poll, 85% of likely voters backing a Democratic House candidate and 76% backing a Republican ruled out considering the other party.
Evidence as of
Most likely voters already planning to support a major-party House candidate said they would not consider the other party in CBS News/YouGov’s October 21–23 survey. Among those planning to vote for a Democratic candidate, 85% said they would not consider a Republican. Among those planning to vote for a Republican, 76% said they would not consider a Democrat. Sources: CBS News/YouGov October 21–23, 2026 survey toplines and crosstabs, CBS News October 25, 2026 midterm survey report
The remaining answers show different levels of stated openness. Democratic-candidate backers answered 4% “yes” and 11% “maybe”; Republican-candidate backers answered 6% “yes” and 18% “maybe.” The nine-percentage-point gap between the two “no” answers describes different groups answering mirrored questions in the same poll. It does not measure voters switching parties or a change since an earlier survey. Sources: CBS News/YouGov October 21–23, 2026 survey toplines and crosstabs, CBS News October 25, 2026 midterm survey report
CBS News/YouGov surveyed 2,355 U.S. adults and published the results on October 25. These questions concern likely voters planning a particular House vote, rather than everyone identifying with a party. The tables list weighted subgroup sizes of 587 and 612; they do not provide a sampling margin for this nine-point difference. The published ±2.6-point margin applies to the full adult sample, not these subgroups. Data: CBS News/YouGov. Original CBS report: Anthony Salvanto. Analysis: 21CEE. Sources: CBS News/YouGov October 21–23, 2026 survey toplines and crosstabs, CBS News October 25, 2026 midterm survey report
Conditional likely-voter groups defined by current House vote intention. Mirrored questions, not a historical trend. Weighted percentages.
| Current planned House vote | Yes | Maybe | No | Weighted subgroup N |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic candidate; consider Republican? | 4% | 11% | 85% | 587 |
| Republican candidate; consider Democrat? | 6% | 18% | 76% | 612 |
Sources: CBS News/YouGov October 21–23, 2026 survey toplines and crosstabs
Source note: CBS News/YouGov interviewed 2,355 U.S. adults October 21–23, 2026; published October 25. Likely-voter status uses a model incorporating self-reported voting intentions, demographics and vote history. The full adult sample margin is approximately ±2.6 percentage points; subgroup and cross-group gap margins are not supplied. Responses are hypothetical, not observed vote switches. Data: CBS News/YouGov. Original CBS article: Anthony Salvanto. Analysis and graphic: 21CEE. Sources: CBS News/YouGov October 21–23, 2026 survey toplines and crosstabs, CBS News October 25, 2026 midterm survey report
Sources & data
- CBS News/YouGov October 21–23, 2026 survey toplines and crosstabs · CBS News/YouGov · (publication time unavailable)
- CBS News October 25, 2026 midterm survey report · CBS News · Anthony Salvanto · (publication time unavailable)
Credits
Analysis: 21CEE editorial analysis (organization).
Corrections & updates
No corrections recorded.