Could These Red States Really Turn Blue?

Is America facing a literacy crisis? Dr. Andrew Weaver, Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at Marist University, joins our discussion. The latest Nation’s Report Card found that reading performance among high school seniors has declined over the past three decades, with the greatest concerns among lower-performing students. Meanwhile, the most recent Survey of Adult Skills shows an increase in U.S. adults with low literacy proficiency. We look at what these trends mean for educational achievement, workforce readiness, and Americans’ ability to understand and evaluate information. Voters want their governors to make student literacy a top priority, but few think it is one now. So, who is responsible for turning things around, and should reading be treated as a national priority?Plus, college sports have become a big business, with athletes earning money through NIL (name, image, likeness) deals, schools sharing revenue with players, and the transfer portal changing how teams are built. Many Americans support athletes being fairly compensated, but questions remain about competitive fairness, school loyalty, and whether college sports are losing the traditions that made them unique. As smaller programs struggle to hold on to their best players, we look at whether money is taking over college athletics and what the future of college sports should look like.Finally, our fun fact: in 2025, a poll asked employed Americans whether they were learning new skills to use AI to be more productive at work. How do you think they answered?

The 2026 midterm results are in! We break down who won, highlight the races that made the biggest impact, and discuss what the outcomes could mean for the future of American politics, from control of Congress to the gubernatorial races. We also look back at the contests we polled this fall, from Texas and Iowa to Ohio, Michigan, Maine, and New York. And about those polls... we take a look at how the final numbers stacked up on Election Day.Plus, a fun fact that Elon Musk will love. In July 1997, just days after NASA’s Pathfinder landed on Mars, voters were asked whether there would ever be a McDonald’s on the Red Planet. Jay thinks another restaurant chain might have Martian advantage....

Our final round of polls before Election Day is out, and we're looking into our data on Maine and New York. In Maine, the contest for U.S. Senate between Democrat Troy Jackson and Republican incumbent Susan Collins is competitive among likely voters. In the race for governor, Democrat Hannah Pingree and Republican Bobby Charles are tied, with independent Rick Bennett in single digits. Regardless of whom they support, most likely voters think Collins and Pingree will win. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul leads Republican Bruce Blakeman among likely voters. In both states, negative views of President Donald Trump and concerns about personal finances shape the landscape.Plus, should a paycheck measure the value of a college degree? Under the Education Department’s new Earnings Accountability Framework, programs whose graduates repeatedly fall below specified earnings thresholds can lose access to federal student loans. We look at whether Americans think college programs should be held accountable for what their graduates earn and how they weigh the cost and benefits of higher education. Americans broadly support holding colleges accountable for students’ economic outcomes, but they also value personal interests and career goals beyond earning potential. So, who should define what a worthwhile education looks like?And the scariest question of the season: just days before the 1998 midterms, which Halloween costume did voters think would send the neighbors running: a politician or a journalist?

Our new Marist Ohio and Michigan Polls look at the state of the 2026 midterms with Election Day looming. These polls now include likely voters, and in both, the critical U.S. Senate races are very close. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers are neck-and-neck, and in Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown just edges Republican Jon Husted. Among registered voters, both Democrats hold leads similar to what they had in our September polls. Democrats have bigger advantages in the races for governor in both states, with Jocelyn Benson ahead in Michigan and Amy Acton ahead in Ohio. We look at President Trump’s upside-down approval rating, with a plurality of likely voters in both states saying their vote for Congress is mainly a vote against him. We also cover the financial worries shaping voters’ choices.Then, the rise of prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, where people can bet on everything from election results and voter turnout to government decisions and military actions, has a lot of people worried. More than twice as much money has already been bet on this year’s congressional races than in the entire 2024 cycle. Supporters say these markets can help predict what will happen, while critics worry about insider trading, gambling, and people profiting from real-world events. Most Americans see prediction markets as gambling, and majorities oppose betting on elections, military actions, and government decisions. We discuss whether public opinion might force politicians to act.And with the postseason in full swing, a fun fact from the archives: in early 1950, Gallup asked Americans if they had ever gone to a Major League Baseball game. How many said yes? You might be surprised.

We return to Texas and Iowa with our second round of Marist Polls this election season. With Election Day just weeks away, the key races look much as they did in September. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico continues to edge Republican Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate, and the governor’s race between Gina Hinojosa and Gov. Greg Abbott remains competitive. In Iowa, Democrats Josh Turek and Rob Sand also have the edge in the races for Senate and governor. We look at President Trump’s influence on the midterms and the issues shaping voters’ choices in two states he carried in 2024.In segment two, we examine whether women trust the institutions responsible for handling sexual-assault reports. The allegations involving seven Cornell students have renewed debate over how campuses respond and over New York’s consent laws. That debate includes a reopened criminal investigation, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s call for an independent review, and new calls to change the law. We look at what national surveys show about confidence in campus investigations. Fewer women than in 2019 expect a report to be taken seriously, and there’s a wide gender gap in views of how often harassment and assault go unreported. Marist University Associate Professor of Crime and Justice Studies, Dr. Julie Raines, joins to provide insights.

We've been doing a lot of polling lately, and our latest batch hits close to home! We polled voters in New York and Maine to find out what they're thinking and for whom they might vote. We dig into the data to explain why a relatively unpopular governor, Kathy Hochul, is up by 11 points in New York. And, we check out how famously independent Down East voters are weighing their options: Pick the beats-the-odds incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins or go with a Democrat.For segment two, we look at how the largest and richest retirement group in American history (the Boomers!) are both beneficiaries of Social Security as it is today -- and part of the reason the trust fund could run out of enough cash to pay full benefits in 6 short years. What do Americans -- especially younger Americans -- think of this?And, a fill-in-the-blank fun fact perfect for the fall season...and the most predictable Lee answer ever!

Ohio and Michigan are two states to watch in this year's midterm elections. We break down our latest Marist Poll numbers in both states, including the contests for U.S. Senate in Ohio and Michigan as well as their respective gubernatorial contests.We also examine the role President Trump is playing in voters’ choices in these two Midwestern states. For some voters, their congressional vote is primarily a vote against the president. We dig into how those views are shaping the political landscape in Ohio and Michigan.The economy is also part of the picture. Ohio and Michigan voters are also assessing their own financial situation, with many saying their finances have gotten worse over the past year. We analyze how those views vary across party lines and what they could mean heading into the midterms.Then, the White House's recent battle with some members of the White House press pool has raised questions about freedom of the press. We take a look at the data.We finish with a fun fact from 2012 that asks a very important question: where is your favorite place in your home to hide your money?

The 2026 midterms are getting closer, and the latest polling gives us a look at where voters stand. This week on Poll Hub, we dig into our latest national poll, examining the congressional elections, the political landscape, the economy, and the issues shaping voters’ choices. We also take a closer look at new polling from Texas and Iowa and what those state-level numbers tell us about the political environment heading into November.Then, we turn to a different kind of number: the price you pay. Surveillance pricing uses personal information, including location, browsing history, shopping behavior, and other data, to determine individualized prices or promotions. We look at what Americans think is fair when companies use personal data this way, including the difference between getting a personalized recommendation or discount and being charged a different price for the same product. So, what happens when the information companies collect about us starts influencing what we pay? We explore where Americans draw the line between personalization, privacy, and fair pricing.And, of course, we wrap things up with a fun fact about whether you have to be at least a little crazy to live in New York City.

This time on Poll Hub, we’re devoting the episode to one topic that has, over the course of about a week, taken over the minds of Americans: Killer AI.Although prominent experts have been warning about the possibility of superintelligent AI wiping out humanity for years, this week the conversation broke through into the mainstream. We dig through the muck to explore how AI experts are coming down on different sides of the argument, and how non-experts, including Donald Trump and other politicians, are weighing in as well.We also remember that, just a few weeks ago, data centers, the infrastructure behind AI, had broken through as a surprise campaign issue in this fall’s elections. Could the broader debate over AI become a political issue, too?Then, we look at how we’re using AI here at the Poll. Not to do polls, but to transform some elements of what we do. And, finally, we ask whether kids using AI might be the next thing to break through.And, no, we have not forgotten the fun fact. Indeed, we’ve pulled another weird one from the box!

President Trump's latest trade war, this one with Canada, has sparked big tariffs, rising costs, and the possibility of electoral backlash in several states that will determine whether Democrats or Republicans control Congress. The team looks at what Americans think of all this overall, but also how Republicans -- especially MAGA Republicans -- have darkened on Canada. And we look at how it's playing in states like Ohio and Michigan whose economies are deeply tied to Canada -- and where two key Senate races could be decided by the issue.Next, we have done many segments on the decades-long fall in how much Americans trust institutions. While that continues unabated, we wanted to look at it through a different lens: what makes an "expert" to most Americans in the current environment flooded with social media information silos?We finish with a trended fun fact that takes us from 1980 to the present -- it's a crazy wave that is coming back to where we started.