Trump's Senate majority under threat as stunning new poll shows Democrats leading in Texas and Republicans in danger in Kansas

The latest round of polling conducted in critical US Senate races shows a bleak picture for Republicans.

A CNN/SSRS poll that sampled voters in Texas, Kansas, Maine, and Michigan found ample cause for concern just days before the election.

Democrats hold leads in each of these states and Trump is saddled by double-digit disapprovals, even among Republicans.

In Maine Democrat Troy Jackson was found to be up four points over incumbent Senator Susan Collins, 49 percent to 45 percent.

Of the states polled, Trump's disapproval rate is the highest in Maine, at 61 percent, and the lowest in Kansas, at 45 percent.

However Trump's backing of Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall doesn't seem to be saving the incumbent.

The same CNN/SSRS poll also found Democrat Adam Hamilton leading Marshall 49 percent to 45 percent.

In Michigan, the Democratic pad is even larger.

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One for travel to South Carolina, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, October 29, 2026

Mike Rogers (R) and Abdul El-Sayed (D)

Susan Collins (R) and Troy Jackson (D)

Abdul El-Sayed is up seven points over Republican Mike Rogers, 49 percent to 42 percent.

One cautionary point: The final CNN/SSRS poll of the 2024 presidential race was shown to be off the mark, showing Kamala Harris with leads in Michigan and Wisconsin and tied in Pennsylvania.

She lost all three states.

Trump's approval rating is far worse now, underwater in almost every single battleground state per a Civiqs’ rolling tracker of registered voters.

In Michigan fifty-nine percent of those polled disapprove of his job performance, including 13 percent of Republicans.

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico was found in the CNN/SSRS poll to be up six points over the beleaguered Ken Paxton, 49 percent to 43 percent.

Fifty-six percent of Texans disapprove of Trump's job performance, including 13 percent of Republicans.

Ken Paxton (R) and James Talarico (D)

Roger Marshall (R) versus Adam Hamilton (D)

Trump is currently criss-crossing the country trying to enthuse voters to turn out for less palatable GOP candidates who, in many cases, were hand-picked by Trump in primary contests.

His party seeks to defy history in November's elections despite his low approval rating that has rebounded slightly to 40 percent in polls released this week.

The Cook Political Report currently lists the following states in their 'toss-up' column for US Senate races: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas.

Democrats need to flip four Republican-held seats to win Senate control, with their best prospects being North Carolina, Texas, Ohio and Alaska.

When actor and singer Sebastian Croft was named as part of this year's star–studded Celebrity Traitors line–up, fans could be forgiven for underestimating him. After all, most had no idea who he was.

Alongside the likes of Richard E Grant, Jerry Hall and Michael Sheen, the 24–year–old – who had a minor role in Game Of Thrones, but found fame in Netflix hit Heartstopper – was expected, perhaps, to remain in their shadows.

But Friday's final put a firm end to that as he rumbled the remaining Traitors and took the crown with fellow Faithful Romesh Ranganathan.

Describing his victory as 'just incredible', Bash said: 'This might actually be the best day of my life.'

When it comes to his career, that may well prove to be true. But Bash has been quietly carving out a showbusiness career, having attended acting academies since he was seven.

When he was a teenager, and already starring in the West End, his parents were so determined he would be a star they moved to a flat in Covent Garden so the theatre world was on his doorstep.

Bash's mother Doulla – who stood as a Green party candidate in Kensington and Chelsea in May's local elections, winning just 346 votes – said: 'We joke that from our flat it is quicker for us to go home in the interval to use the loos, than stand in a queue at the theatre.'

Bash's West End stage debut was in 2010 in Sam Mendes' production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and a year later he was cast as Gavroche in Les Miserables.

Actor Sebastian 'Bash' Croft, 24, has emerged as the breakout star of The Celebrity Traitors after winning the BBC competition alongside comedian Romesh Ranganathan

Bash’s mother Doulla stood as a Green party candidate in Kensington and Chelsea in May’s local elections, winning just 346 votes

Bash attended St Edward’s boarding school in Oxford. Pictured is St. Edward's School Woodstock Road, Oxford

Those who know Bash recall a comfortable upbringing. His father John is co–founder of Elevate, one of the leading innovators in the legal services industry, which generates about £100million in annual revenue.

Bash attended St Edward's boarding school in Oxford – where fees cost up to £62,000 a year – after leaving the nearby Dragon's independent school.

It means his £41,500 share of the Traitors prize pot, which will be donated to charity Choose Love, which supports LGBT refugees around the world, is rather small change.

But it is a cause close to his heart. He experienced his fair share of turmoil at St Edward's – in particular, after he was outed by a fellow student, who had also been his secret boyfriend. It led to him leaving the school at 16.

He said in an interview: 'I don't blame the other boy who did it, because he was obviously just also trying to navigate the fact that he was getting chipped for being gay. But it was a really lonely and difficult time in my life.'

He did his A–levels at the £35,000–a–year Mander Portman Woodward, a sixth–form college in Kensington.

After leaving school, Bash won the role of young Eddard Stark (portrayed by Sean Bean as an adult) in the sixth series of the HBO hit Game Of Thrones. His film debut came in the adaptation of Stephen Fry's novel The Hippopotamus, and he appeared in Horrible Histories: The Movie.

But his most prominent role has been as Ben Hope in the 2022 Netflix series Heartstopper, a coming–of–age drama about two teenage boys who fall in love.

Bash has kept his own love life out of the spotlight, but in recent weeks it has emerged that he dated his Heartstopper co–star Joe Locke. He is now single and focusing on a variety of projects. He releases his debut EP, The Great Forever, this month, while a weekly podcast, The Sunday Scaries With Bash Croft, starts today.

And armed with his friendship with the BBC's golden boy Ranganathan – along with the star–strewn cast of Celebrity Traitors – the opportunities are unlikely to dry up anytime soon.