Center for American Progress Action

Vulnerable Congressional Republicans March in Lockstep as Trump’s Net Disapproval Skyrockets
Article

Vulnerable Congressional Republicans March in Lockstep as Trump’s Net Disapproval Skyrockets

A new MAGA scorecard shows that more than 75 percent of House Republicans in the most competitive seats vote with President Trump 100 percent of the time.

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Getty/Tierney L. Cross)

President Donald Trump entered his second term with high approval. But the political honeymoon didn’t last. Within weeks, his RealClearPolitics average flipped from positive to negative; and since signing his Big, “Beautiful” Bill into law this summer, his net disapproval has more than tripled. Voters are souring fast, driven by mounting frustration over rising costs, a sluggish economy, the White House and congressional Republicans’ handling of the recent government shutdown, and the administration’s refusal to release the Epstein files—an issue where more than 80 percent of Americans want transparency.

Yet even as the bottom drops out beneath the president’s public standing, a new analysis from the Center for American Progress Action Fund finds vulnerable House Republicans sticking to Trump like glue. More than 3 in 4 GOP incumbents in the most competitive districts have voted with the president 100 percent of the time.

More than 3 in 4 GOP incumbents in the most competitive districts have voted with the president 100 percent of the time.

Ordinarily, members in tough districts try to show some independence, breaking with their party when hometown interests demand it. Yet this Congress’ most at-risk Republicans have rubber-stamped Trump’s agenda at every turn. In 14 of the 18 U.S. House districts currently held by a Republican that the Cook Political Report rates as “toss-up,” “lean Republican,” or “lean Democrat,” the GOP incumbents boast a perfect pro-Trump voting record.

And it’s not just members in front-line districts. CAP Action analysis shows these vulnerable Republicans aren’t the exception; they’re the rule. A staggering 88 percent of the House Republican Conference votes with Trump 100 percent of the time, putting the party squarely in lockstep with a president whose support is rapidly eroding. Just this week, Republicans defended a congressional seat by just a single-digit margin in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, which Donald Trump won in 2024 by 22 percentage points. These results are just the latest evidence that voters nationwide disapprove of how the Republican Party has governed since assuming full control of power in Washington, D.C.

This analysis offers candidates compelling, easy-to-understand statistics about who their members of Congress are working for: Donald Trump or the constituents they were elected to represent. With the midterms less than a year away, vulnerable Republicans in Congress are sealing their fate by continuing to vote with an increasingly unpopular president.

Methodology

This analysis relies on the same methodology as CAP Action’s September scorecard measuring House and Senate roll-call votes, now including votes through November 21, 2025.

To download the full list of votes that the authors used to determine the percentage of votes with President Trump, click here.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.

Authors

Colin Seeberger

Senior Adviser, Communications

Will Ragland

Vice President, Research

Team

Digital Advocacy

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Default Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form

Variable Opt Ins

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form