Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Harris voters more enthusiastic about midterms than Trump voters
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 48% of 2024 Harris voters were "very enthusiastic" about the 3 November midterms versus 30% of Trump voters, which both outlets read as a turnout warning for Republicans.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that voters who backed Kamala Harris in 2024 are far more enthusiastic about voting in the 3 November midterm elections than those who backed Donald Trump. The Straits TimesRC “Voters who backed Democratic former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 are far more enthusiastic about casting ballots this November than those who supported President Do” Read at The Straits Times ↗ NewsweekN “48 percent of Harris's 2024 voters said they were "very enthusiastic" about voting in November, compared with 30 percent of Trump voters.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Mixed · 2The poll surveyed 4,506 US adults online over six days, completed on Monday 5 October, with a margin of error of 2 percentage points. The Straits TimesRC “surveyed 4,506 adults online” Read at The Straits Times ↗ NewsweekN “conducted September 30 to October 5” Read at Newsweek ↗ Mixed · 2Among all respondents who said they were enthusiastic, 62% said they were motivated by opposition to Trump, while 36% said they were eager to support him. The Straits TimesRC “62% said they were pumped about expressing opposition to Trump, compared to 36% who said they were eager to support the president.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ NewsweekN “62 percent said they were motivated by opposition to Trump, while 36 percent said they were eager to support him.” Read at Newsweek ↗
Mixed · 2Trump voters were also less decided: 13% said they were unsure who to vote for in congressional races, against 7% of Harris voters. The Straits TimesRC “13% saying they aren't sure who to vote for in congressional elections, compared to 7% of Harris supporters” Read at The Straits Times ↗ NewsweekN “Thirteen percent of Trump's 2024 voters said they were unsure who they would support in a congressional election, compared with 7 percent of Harris's voters.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Mixed · 2Men, whom Trump won by 12 points in 2024, were more enthusiastic and more certain to vote than women, and favoured Democrats over Republicans on the congressional ballot 43% to 39%, the widest Democratic margin of Trump's second term; they mostly favoured Republicans in 2025 but have leaned Democratic since August. The Straits TimesRC “men in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll picked Democrats over Republicans, 43% to 39%. The four-point Democratic advantage was the widest of Trump's second term.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ NewsweekN “Men also favored Democrats over Republicans on the congressional ballot, 43 percent to 39 percent” Read at Newsweek ↗ Mixed · 2Republicans kept a 44% to 42% edge among voters aged 50 and older, down from 8 points in December. The Straits TimesRC “Voters 50 and older still favor the Republican Party over the Democratic Party by 2 percentage points, 44% to 42%” Read at The Straits Times ↗ NewsweekN “who favored the party by 44 percent to 42 percent in the Reuters/Ipsos poll, though that was down from 8 points in December.” Read at Newsweek ↗
Right · 1Reuters reported that Trump's approval stood at 32%, a record low first reached in a September Reuters/Ipsos survey, and linked the weakness to cost-of-living concerns and the war with Iran that Trump launched in February; cost of living was the top issue in the poll. The Straits TimesRC “just 32% of Americans approved of Trump's presidency, holding at a record low first marked in a September Reuters/Ipsos survey.”“Cost of living is the top issue on Americans' minds as they decide how they will vote next month” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2Republican strategist Charlie Gerow said the findings raise the stakes for Republican turnout efforts but that he expects the gap to narrow as concerns about Democrats gaining power motivate Republicans: "The enthusiasm has to be ginned up among Republicans because turnout is what's going to determine the outcome." The Straits TimesRC “"The enthusiasm has to be ginned up among Republicans because turnout is what's going to determine the outcome of these midterm elections," Gerow said.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ NewsweekN “while predicting the enthusiasm gap could narrow as Republicans focus on the prospect of Democrats gaining power.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Centre · 1Newsweek added two other polls: an Economist/YouGov survey (2–5 October, 1,513 adults) in which 52% of Harris voters and 34% of Trump voters said they were more enthusiastic than in earlier congressional election years, and a CBS News/YouGov Battleground Tracker (30 September–2 October, 2,166 adults) estimating a Democratic advantage for a narrow House majority. NewsweekN “52 percent of Harris's 2024 voters said they were more enthusiastic, compared with 34 percent of Trump's.”“Its Battleground Tracker estimates Democrats currently have an advantage in the fight for a narrow House majority” Read at Newsweek ↗
Centre · 1Newsweek cautioned that the polls do not establish why individual Trump voters feel less enthusiastic or whether they will stay home, and that enthusiasm does not confirm how many will vote. NewsweekN “The polls, however, do not establish why individual Trump voters feel less enthusiastic, or whether they will ultimately stay home.” Read at Newsweek ↗ Right · 1Reuters quoted a poll respondent, Linda Rivera, a 46-year-old Trump voter in Pennsylvania, who said she was frustrated with both parties and had "lost faith in the voting process". The Straits TimesRC “"I have lost faith in the voting process," she told Reuters.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Newsweek frames the Reuters/Ipsos result as part of a multi-poll picture of a Republican turnout challenge, with added caution about what enthusiasm shows.
- Emphasis
- Adds Economist/YouGov and CBS/YouGov data, the cost-of-living issue and the two-part challenge for Republicans and opportunity for Democrats.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention Trump's 32% approval, the Iran war, or the respondent who doubts the voting process.
- Charged language
- “Midterm Warning”
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The Straits Times runs Reuters copy leading with Trump voters being "not pumped" and a warning sign for Republicans; this is the agency's wording, not the outlet's own.
- Emphasis
- Reuters copy stresses the enthusiasm gap, Trump's record-low 32% approval, the shift among men, the Iran war and cost of living.
- Leaves out or plays down
- No other polls for comparison and no caveat on the limits of enthusiasm as a predictor.
- Charged language
- “not pumped”“ginned up”
- For example
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“Trump voters are not pumped about voting in the midterms, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds” — The Straits Times
“in a potential warning sign for Republicans heading into the midterm elections” — The Straits Times
What every side reports
- 48% of Harris 2024 voters versus 30% of Trump voters said they were very enthusiastic about voting in the midterms.
- The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,506 US adults online with a 2-point margin of error.
- 13% of Trump voters versus 7% of Harris voters were undecided on congressional votes.
- Men favoured Democrats 43% to 39% on the congressional ballot.
- Republican strategist Charlie Gerow said Republican enthusiasm has to be raised.
Reuters/Ipsos poll organisation
The poll finds an enthusiasm gap favouring Democrats and signs of erosion among men, as reported in Reuters' own copy.
“The findings add to evidence of an enthusiasm gap favoring Democrats” — The Straits Times
Donald Trump person
Trump is described as facing a record-low 32% approval; coverage reports no response from him on the poll.
“just 32% of Americans approved of Trump's presidency” — The Straits Times
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
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Trump Voters Are Giving Republicans a Midterm Warning, Polls Show
Neutral Aggregates several polls into a Republican turnout-concern narrative while noting limits of enthusiasm data.
Right1 article
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The Straits TimesRC · · via Reuters
Trump voters are not pumped about voting in the midterms, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Neutral Reuters wire copy reporting the poll as a warning sign for Republicans, with context on approval, men and the Iran war.
- 8 Oct 11:04 First The Straits TimesRC Trump voters are not pumped about voting in the midterms, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds via Reuters
- 9 Oct 16:41 +29h 36m NewsweekN Trump Voters Are Giving Republicans a Midterm Warning, Polls Show
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.