Poll: 70% Doubt Trump Would Accept GOP Midterm Loss

A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that 70% of U.S. adults lacked confidence President Donald Trump would accept the 2026 midterm results if Republicans lose, while 28% said they were confident he would. The survey, conducted online from October 9 to 13 among 2,545 U.S. adults, measured expectations before the November 3 election. Half of respondents said they were not at all confident Trump would accept a Republican defeat; another 20% were not too confident. The results describe public opinion, not what Trump or party leaders will do after votes are counted. Confidence in election administration was higher. Sixty-one percent said they were confident the midterms would be conducted fairly and accurately, while 65% were confident votes would be counted accurately. The two questions were asked of different random halves of the sample, according to the poll’s description. The poll also found that 61% believed Trump was not committed to ensuring free and fair elections, up from 56% in 2025. On the question of accepting an election loss, 94% of Democrats and 77% of independents lacked confidence in Trump. Among Republicans, 63% said they were confident he would accept the...