The affordability election that teaches Democrats nothing

As Americans vote in the 2026 midterm elections, the cost of living is a leading concern. An analysis of a year of polling published by Politico argues that Republicans have lost ground on affordability: Democrats’ advantage on which party voters trust to bring costs down grew from two to 17 percentage points. Separate Pew Research Center polling found that 84% of registered voters considered the economy very important to their vote. The findings describe the campaign environment, rather than an election result.

The Politico analysis also cautions against treating a strong Democratic performance as a clear endorsement of the party’s own programme. More than half of voters supporting a Democratic candidate said their choice was more about President Donald Trump and his performance than the candidate. Democratic voters also differed over how a future majority should govern: 29% said they would favour withholding bipartisan progress on living costs if it meant denying Trump an achievement and improving their party’s prospects in 2028. The question for Democrats is whether they can turn voters’ concern about prices into policies that command support after the election.