A poll from NBC News found both Democrats and Republicans are prioritizing ideological alignment over electability when they choose candidates in the 2026 midterms.
Seven in 10 Republican primary voters said they prefer a candidate who comes closest to their views, while only 27% said they prefer a candidate who has a better chance of winning the general election, according to the poll.
The survey found 56% of Democrats prefer the candidate closest to their views, while 42% revealed they want a candidate who is more electable in a general election.
A prior survey taken in June 2023 showed 56% of Republicans wanted a candidate who aligned with their views compared to 39% who said they wanted a presidential nominee who could defeat then-President Joe Biden.
Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, an NBC News survey found 53% of Democrats preferred a candidate with the best chance of defeating President Donald Trump compared to 42% who wanted a candidate who reflected their own beliefs.
Voters have dim views of both political parties, according to the new poll, with just 30% of registered voters viewing the Democratic Party positively, compared to 52% who view it negatively.
The Republican Party is viewed more favorably, but with only 37% of voters having a positive view compared to 51% viewing it negatively.
Only 62% of Democrats view their party positively compared to 77% of Republicans who view their party positively. Among independents, 13% view the Democratic Party positively and 16% view the GOP positively.
Among potential 2028 presidential contenders, Vice President JD Vance has a 38% positive rating and a 49% negative view, with a majority of Republicans and independents viewing him favorably.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has a 34% positive rating and a 41% negative rating, though 66% of Republicans view him positively. Among independents, 44% view him negatively and only 23% view him positively, according to the poll.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., had a 31% positive rating and a 42% negative rating, but had lower negative ratings than former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the survey found.
The NBC News poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters Feb. 27 to March 3 via a mix of telephone interviews and an online survey sent via text message. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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