New polling data from Next American Era and Morning Consult reveals a striking disconnect between Washington's political warfare and what most Americans actually want: practical results. With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, the survey of 5,995,420 voters shows that a broad majority across party lines is fed up with ideological grandstanding and hungry for leaders who can deliver tangible progress.
The numbers paint a clear picture. Sixty percent of voters say they prefer targeted, commonsense solutions that address specific problems and can be implemented with minimal disruption. That preference cuts across the partisan divide: 72% of progressives and 71% of MAGA Republicans alike want their representatives to focus on working together rather than scoring political points. Three in four voters want elected officials to find common ground with the opposition and build lasting compromises, including 88% of progressives and 77% of MAGA Republicans.
This isn't just about vague aspirations. When voters were shown actual policy descriptions, moderate approaches consistently outperformed both progressive and MAGA alternatives. The moderate advantage was largest on tariffs (plus-19 points over progressive policy), market competition (plus-14), and workforce development (plus-14). On AI oversight, moderate policies beat MAGA alternatives by 27 points. These results suggest that voters are not looking for timid centrism but for solutions they believe can actually work.
The economic backdrop makes these findings urgent. More than half of voters (58%) say America is headed in the wrong direction. Inflation, energy costs, gas prices, healthcare, and prescription drug costs top their list of concerns. These aren't abstract anxieties—they're the daily realities that determine whether families can pay bills, small businesses can stay open, and workers can afford to live in their communities.
Trust in either party to address these challenges is surprisingly fragile. Democrats hold a slight edge across every issue tested, with the largest margins on childcare costs (plus-10 points), healthcare affordability (plus-9), and housing affordability (plus-6). But roughly one in four voters trusts neither party to find effective solutions. That's a warning sign for both sides as the midterms loom.
The poll's authors—former members of Congress who now run Next American Era—argue that the path to a durable coalition is simpler than Washington assumes: focus on delivering results, not winning ideological battles. They point to the fact that 88% of progressives and 77% of MAGA Republicans support compromise, and that two-thirds of voters say it's extremely or very important for officials to pursue workable, results-oriented solutions even if it means compromising with the other side.
This data arrives at a moment when both parties are grappling with internal debates. Democrats are wrestling with the influence of their progressive wing, while the GOP remains shaped by Trump-era dynamics. But the poll suggests that primary voters and activists don't speak for the broader electorate. The voters who decide general elections are sending a different signal: they want leaders who can solve problems, not just win arguments.
The midterms are months away, and the authors urge both parties to heed the data. “Continue down the path of ideological combat that has produced record levels of distrust and pessimism, or pivot toward the practical governance that voters are asking for,” they write. “We know which path we’re on. We hope more of Washington will join us.”
For context, this desire for pragmatism echoes other recent polls. A separate survey found that 49% of Americans can't explain Trump's signature reconciliation law, underscoring the gap between policy debates and public understanding. Meanwhile, 65% disapprove of Trump's D.C. renovation projects, suggesting that voters are skeptical of symbolic gestures. And as both parties eye the growing Asian American electorate, neglect of that bloc could sink Democrats in 2026, adding another layer of complexity to the midterm landscape.
