The Graphic Truth: US presidents' midterm pain

November 04, 2021

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The Graphic Truth: US presidents' midterm pain: presidential approval ratings after one year in US history

Ari Winkleman

Things aren't looking good for Joe Biden. And it could get worse for him a year from now, when the Democratic Party could lose control of the US Congress in the 2022 midterm election. But this dynamic isn't unique to the Biden administration. Historically, in the president's first term his party has almost always lost seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterms. What's more, the president's own approval rating also tends to take a hit as the vote nears. We compare the approval ratings of the last 10 US presidents one year before the midterm election and on the eve of the vote, as well as the number of House/Senate seats lost/won by the party in the White House at the time.

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Democratic nominee for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani getsures on stage after winning the 2025 New York City mayoral race, at an election night rally in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, USA, on November 4, 2025.

REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City yesterday following a social-media-first campaign that was laser-focused on affordability. His real challenge, though, has only just begun.

The Graphic Truth: US presidents' midterm pain

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Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City yesterday following a social-media-first campaign that was laser-focused on affordability. His real challenge, though, has only just begun.

The Graphic Truth: US presidents' midterm pain

GZEROMEDIA

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More from GZERO Media

These days, US farmers aren’t just worried about the weather jeopardizing their harvests. They’re keeping a close eye on geopolitical storms as well.

As AI begins to understand us better than we understand ourselves, who will decide how it shapes our world? Ian Bremmer cautions, "The winner or the winners are going to determine in large part what society looks like, what the motivating ideologies are."

The United States is #winning. But while the short-term picture looks strong, the United States is systematically trading long-term strategic advantages for more immediate tactical gains, with the accumulating costs hiding in plain sight.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

Let no one drain your peace #PUPPETREGIME

Beneath steady wage growth, the labor market is shifting. New data from Bank of America points to weaker job growth and widening income gaps that could reshape recovery trends. Subscribe to Bank of America Institute for the full view of the US job market.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City yesterday following a social-media-first campaign that was laser-focused on affordability. His real challenge, though, has only just begun.