Hoosier voters are unhappy with President Donald Trump and don’t think the state is heading in the right direction, according to a Free Press Indiana Poll conducted by Bellwether Research.

Out of more than 800 likely voters who were surveyed, 54% said they disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president, while 44% said they approve. Of those numbers, 48% said they strongly disapprove of Trump, and 28% said they strongly approve.

Trump’s high disapproval rating marks a sharp turn for voters in deep-red Indiana, where the president won the state by nearly 20 percentage points in the 2024 election against Democrat Kamala Harris.

Now, skyrocketing gas prices fueled by the war in Iran and growing inflation have disgruntled many Hoosiers who voted for Trump and expected him to make Indiana more affordable, argued Chad Kinsella, a political scientist at Ball State University.

“His whole thing was bringing down costs,” he said. “Trump’s numbers are underwater, and people are not happy.”

Still, the poll found Republican support for the president remained steady. Only 15% of those surveyed who identified as Republican said they didn’t approve of him. However, 96% of Democrats said they didn’t approve, and 69% of independents also disapproved of Trump.

Democrats’ universal dislike of the president is likely to spur many to turn out and vote against Republicans in Indiana’s midterms, Kinsella said. According to the survey, 58% of Democrats said they are more enthusiastic to vote this year than normal, while just 34% of Republicans feel the same way.

“Democrats realize that the momentum is on their side and they’re excited,” Kinsella said. “(Republicans) are going to have to pay their pound of flesh in this election unless something changes fairly drastically very soon.”

Nationally, the president’s approval rating sits at a near-historic low of around 32%, according to a Ruteurs/Ispos poll conducted earlier this month. Other reliably red states like Alaska and Texas have also seen Trump’s approval rating fall. Democratic Senate candidates in those states are leading in the polls.

Hoosiers disapprove of Braun

Trump’s approval rating is also dragging down how Hoosiers view Gov. Mike Braun, according to Kinsella.

The poll found 48% of likely voters disapprove of how the first-term governor is doing his job, while 38% approve and 13% said they weren’t sure. That dovetailed with 47% of Hoosiers saying they think Indiana is heading in the wrong direction and just 35% saying it’s on the right track.

Braun received a Trump endorsement in the 2024 election and easily defeated Democrat Jennifer McCormick. His administration has closely aligned itself with the president’s agenda and often touts its relationship with Trump.

“The president is the brand, and if the president’s brand is not doing well, then the whole thing goes down with him,” Kinsella said. “That includes Braun.”

Of those who identified as Republican, 67% said they approved of the governor. Only 9% of Democrats said they approved and 20% of independents said the same.

Braun’s underwater approval rating comes even as he makes affordability a top issue. The poll found cost of living was one of the top two issues concerning Hoosiers, just below government corruption.

Since April, Braun has suspended the state’s gas tax, making Indiana’s fuel prices the lowest in the nation. He’s also put pressure on the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to find ways to bring down electricity bills for residents.

Kinsella said he expected Braun’s focus on affordability to bolster his approval rating. But in an environment in which national politics often overshadows state issues, most Hoosiers will tether Braun’s performance to Trump, Kinsella said.

“The president is the brand, and the president is not popular,” he said.

Free Press Indiana commissioned the poll by Bellwether Research. It surveyed 896 registered voters in Indiana from October 8-11 via telephone interviews and online surveys sent by text message. The results are based on responses from 839 likely voters, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. Bellwether Research’s clients include former Gov. Mitch Daniels, Eli Lilly and the Nature Conservancy in Indiana.

This article was written by FPI News reporter Carson Gerber.