On two major issues that could affect this year’s midterm elections, the Republican Party has a slight edge over Democrats in terms of voter trust.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 46% of Likely Voters trust Republicans more to handle the economy, while 44% trust Democrats more on the issue, and 11% are not sure.
The GOP leads by the same two-point margin – 46% to 44% for Democrats – on the question of who voters trust more to handle immigration, the only difference being that on this question the “not sure” amounts to 10%, because of statistical rounding.
While the two-point Republican advantage on handling the economy is unchanged since last April, the GOP has lost significant ground on immigration, an issue where they previously led Democrats by 11 points, 50% to 49%.
Among voters who trust Republicans more to handle the economy, 90% also trust the GOP more on immigration. Among those who trust Democrats more on the economy, 87% also trust Democrats more to handle immigration.
Not surprisingly, partisan affiliation is very significant on these questions. Among Republican voters, 87% trust their own party more on both the economy and 85% on immigration, while 81% Democrats trust their own party on the economy and 80% on immigration.
Voters not affiliated with either major party are about evenly divided, with a two-point advantage for Democrats on the economy (39% to 37%) and an exact tie (at 39%) on immigration. More than one-in-five unaffiliated voters are not sure which major party they trust more on either issue.
There is a significant “gender gap” on these questions, with men trusting Republicans more on both the economy (by a 13-point margin, 51% to 38%) and immigration (50% to 38%), while women voters trust the Democrats more on the economy by an eight-point margin (49% to 41%) and by a 10-point margin (50% to 40%) on handling immigration.
Democrats lead by more than 20 points on both issues among voters under 30, while Republicans have their largest advantage among those ages 50-64.
On the economy, Republicans are trusted more by 49% of whites, 22% of black voters, 51% of Hispanics and 56% of other minorities, while Democrats are trusted more by 41% of whites, 72% of black voters, 41% of Hispanics and 21% of other minorities. On immigration, Republicans are trusted more than Democrats by every racial category except black voters, who trust Democrats more by a 3-to-1 margin.
Breaking down the electorate by income categories, Republicans have a five-point advantage on the economy among voters earning between $50,000 and $200,000 a year. On the immigration issue, Democrats hold their largest advantage – 10 points, 51% to 41% – among voters in the highest bracket, with annual incomes over $200,000 a year.
The survey of 1,155 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on January 25-27, 2026 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. Click here to see methodology. To see survey question wording, click here.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 46% of Likely Voters trust Republicans more to handle the economy, while 44% trust Democrats more on the issue, and 11% are not sure.
The GOP leads by the same two-point margin – 46% to 44% for Democrats – on the question of who voters trust more to handle immigration, the only difference being that on this question the “not sure” amounts to 10%, because of statistical rounding.
While the two-point Republican advantage on handling the economy is unchanged since last April, the GOP has lost significant ground on immigration, an issue where they previously led Democrats by 11 points, 50% to 49%.
Among voters who trust Republicans more to handle the economy, 90% also trust the GOP more on immigration. Among those who trust Democrats more on the economy, 87% also trust Democrats more to handle immigration.
Not surprisingly, partisan affiliation is very significant on these questions. Among Republican voters, 87% trust their own party more on both the economy and 85% on immigration, while 81% Democrats trust their own party on the economy and 80% on immigration.
Voters not affiliated with either major party are about evenly divided, with a two-point advantage for Democrats on the economy (39% to 37%) and an exact tie (at 39%) on immigration. More than one-in-five unaffiliated voters are not sure which major party they trust more on either issue.
There is a significant “gender gap” on these questions, with men trusting Republicans more on both the economy (by a 13-point margin, 51% to 38%) and immigration (50% to 38%), while women voters trust the Democrats more on the economy by an eight-point margin (49% to 41%) and by a 10-point margin (50% to 40%) on handling immigration.
Democrats lead by more than 20 points on both issues among voters under 30, while Republicans have their largest advantage among those ages 50-64.
On the economy, Republicans are trusted more by 49% of whites, 22% of black voters, 51% of Hispanics and 56% of other minorities, while Democrats are trusted more by 41% of whites, 72% of black voters, 41% of Hispanics and 21% of other minorities. On immigration, Republicans are trusted more than Democrats by every racial category except black voters, who trust Democrats more by a 3-to-1 margin.
Breaking down the electorate by income categories, Republicans have a five-point advantage on the economy among voters earning between $50,000 and $200,000 a year. On the immigration issue, Democrats hold their largest advantage – 10 points, 51% to 41% – among voters in the highest bracket, with annual incomes over $200,000 a year.
The survey of 1,155 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on January 25-27, 2026 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. Click here to see methodology. To see survey question wording, click here.
