A new real-time Zogby poll is raising red flags for Democrats just months ahead of the 2026 midterms. What was once a comfortable lead has all but vanished—leaving the two parties in a statistical dead heat and signaling a potential shift in momentum at a critical moment.

The latest Generic Congressional Ballot shows Democrats at 46.3% and Republicans close behind at 45.8%, a dramatic tightening from February when Democrats held a five-point advantage.

Even more striking: the poll comes from a firm often seen as slightly left-leaning—making the sudden collapse in Democratic support even harder to ignore.

The poll found:

–Democrats hold decisive double-digit advantages on healthcare (+14), health and wellness (+12), and trust in government amid the Epstein files (+11), and also lead on working-class needs (+8), affordability (+7), middle-class needs (+6), and minimizing AI job loss.

–Republicans lead on crime (+10), immigration (+7), international strength (+3), and keeping the American dream alive (+3).

The Republican National Committee is moving toward an unprecedented step—holding its first-ever national convention during a midterm election year.

On Friday, the RNC approved a rules change allowing Chairman Joe Gruters to call a convention outside of the traditional presidential election cycle, according to Fox News.

Political conventions are typically reserved for presidential election years, where parties formally nominate their candidates for president and vice president. But Republicans are now exploring a new strategy as they work to defend control of the Senate and maintain their narrow House majority in the upcoming midterms.

The push follows President Donald Trump’s announcement in September that the GOP would stage a convention ahead of the elections to highlight accomplishments since returning to the White House.

The rule change was first approved Thursday evening by the RNC Rules Committee during its winter meeting in Santa Barbara, California, before being unanimously adopted by the full committee on Friday.

According to a memo obtained by Fox News Digital, the event could take shape as an “America First” midterm convention aligned with Trump’s political vision.

Speaking to reporters, Gruters described the concept as a “Trump-a-palooza” aimed at showcasing the administration’s record.

He added that the convention would serve as a platform to highlight policy achievements and energize Republican voters heading into the midterms.

Despite the effort, recent polling shows Trump continues to face low approval ratings, with many Americans expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of the economy and cost-of-living concerns.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin sharply criticized the proposal in comments to Fox News Digital.

“Trump has historically low approval ratings because he has put America last, sold out working families to hand out favors to billionaires, and made life unaffordable,” Martin said.

Historically, the party in control of the White House faces significant political headwinds during midterm elections.