With his approval rating at record low, a toxic Trump gets the brush-off from panicking GOP candidates on campaign trail

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Headline and graph:  New York Times, 10/19/2026

Bayliss Wagner reports:

At rallies across the country, President Trump has implored voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” in the midterm elections. 

But on the airwaves, his party is sending the opposite message. 

Less than $1 of every $100 in Republican television ad spending on House and Senate races from Sept. 9 through Oct. 17 has gone toward commercials that mention the word “Trump,” according to a New York Times analysis of broadcast and streaming ad data and transcripts from the media tracking firm AdImpact. 

Mr. Trump’s approval rating is well under water, putting Republicans in a difficult spot in battleground contests that could decide control of Congress. [emphasis added]

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