Why 45% Say Incumbents Can’t Lose

Voters offer several reasons for how 94% of incumbents get re-elected when Congress is so unpopular.
- About one quarter (23%) say it’s because of voter behavior, saying voters are apathetic or don’t research and tend to vote along party lines.
- Fourteen percent (14%) say incumbents get re-elected because voters have no other viable options, and they choose the “lesser of two evils.”
- Some say systemic barriers deter new candidates.
- Twelve percent (12%) point to systemic corruption, and say there is election fraud, bribery, and influence from wealthy donors.
- Another 11% said incumbent’s have advantages, like superior name recognition and the ability to raise more campaign funds than challengers.
A plurality (45%) of registered voters say members of Congress almost always get re-elected because gerrymandering and other election laws make it just about impossible for a member of Congress to lose.
- - About a third (36%) say 94% of incumbents get re-elected because people hate Congress but love their own representative in Congress.
  - Nineteen percent (19%) are not sure.
  - By a 55% to 33% margin, Democrats say gerrymandering and other laws make it impossible to lose.
  - Republicans are more split, with 42% saying people hate Congress but love their representative, while 37% say it’s gerrymandering and other laws.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, June 8-9, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.