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President Donald Trump’s efforts to make the midterm elections a referendum on his presidency appear to be backfiring as Democratic congressional candidates hold a significant lead over Republicans in the latest poll from PBS News, NPR and Marist. More than half of registered voters – 53% – say they would vote for Democratic candidates if the election were today, while 41% prefer Republicans. Independents, who often decide competitive races, favor Democrats by a margin of 25 points. “The Democrats are sitting in a very good place,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. “There's a lot of grumbling in the electorate and a lot of sentiment for changing things around.” Trump bragged of Republicans riding his electoral coattails during his speech to the party’s midterm convention in Dallas this month, building his strategy on the premise that voters turn out for him and not for anyone else. His appeal is effective largely among self-identified MAGA supporters; 71% say in this poll that their vote for Congress is mostly a vote for the president. But with absentee and mail voting already underway in a handful of states, the poll suggests Trump’s influence may have the opposite effect on other voters. For more from the poll: