NYT Poll Shows Democrats Leading in Republican Strongholds Like Alaska and Texas

With the U.S. midterm elections just over a month away, a poll shows that Democrats are performing strongly even in traditional Republican stronghold regions.

The New York Times (NYT), in collaboration with Siena College, conducted a poll of voters in five states—Texas, Alaska, Ohio, Iowa, and Kansas—from September 22 to October 1, and released the results on the 3rd local time.

According to the U.S. Senate election poll released by the NYT, Democratic candidates are leading or running neck-and-neck within the margin of error against Republican candidates in these regions.

Texas, Alaska, Ohio, Iowa, and Kansas are Republican-leaning regions where U.S. President Donald Trump won in all three presidential elections in 2016, 2020, and 2024.

In Texas, Democratic candidate James Talarico (51%) was found to be leading Republican candidate Ken Paxton (45%) by a 6 percentage point margin.

In Alaska, Democratic candidate Mary Peltola (50%) showed a 7 percentage point lead over incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan (43%).

In Ohio, Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown (49%) narrowly led incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted (46%) within the margin of error.

In Iowa, Republican candidate Ashley Hinson (48%) and Democratic candidate Josh Turek (47%) showed an ultra-tight race.

In Kansas, a representative Republican stronghold that has not produced a Democratic senator since 1932, incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall and Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton recorded a tie (45%).

In this election, which elects 35 out of the total 100 Senate seats, Democrats need to gain 4 more seats from their current count to recapture the majority status.

The NYT analyzed that "President Trump's sharp drop in popularity, public opposition to the war with Iran, and dissatisfaction with high oil prices and the cost of living are reshaping the political landscape," adding that "Democrats are becoming increasingly competitive in Republican-leaning states."

This survey was conducted via telephone interviews with approximately 600 people each in Iowa, Ohio, Texas, and Kansas, and about 500 people in Alaska.

The margin of error by state ranges from plus or minus 4.5 to 5.5 percentage points.

(Photo: Getty Images)
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