Poll: Voters Put Costs and Iran War Ahead of Trump

About eight in 10 registered voters say lowering the cost of living should rank among the next Congress’ highest priorities, according to a new AP-NORC poll. Roughly seven in 10 put ending the war in Iran at the top of the list. Voters in both parties sent a blunt message: address the problems that hit households first.

The poll found much less support for Washington’s political fights. About four in 10 voters want investigating President Donald Trump’s administration to rank as a high priority. Only about two in 10 want Congress to put the Republican president’s agenda first.

What Voters Say They Need

Beyond costs and Iran, about half of voters want Congress to reduce the budget deficit and find common ground between the parties. About four in 10 want new laws regulating artificial intelligence to be a high priority, matching the share who named investigations of the Trump administration. About three in 10 put ending military aid to Israel high on their list.

For some voters, the cost of living is no abstraction. Justin Campbell, a 31-year-old Democrat from Brookhaven, Mississippi, said he doesn’t expect to become wealthy. “I’m not a millionaire and probably won’t ever be,” he said. “I prefer policy that helps me instead of someone I’ll never be.”

Arthur Brown, a 71-year-old Democrat in Magee, Mississippi, wants Congress to strengthen the economy and lower prices. He feels less urgency about holding Trump accountable because only two years would remain in Trump’s term. Turning the economy around matters more, he said. “They should just focus on, you know, trying to tackle these problems,” Brown said. “Eventually down the road, justice will come.”

A Divide Inside the Democratic Coalition

Among Democrats, about six in 10 called investigating the Trump administration one of their highest priorities. Still, lowering costs and ending the Iran conflict ranked higher.

The poll also revealed a split on the left. About three-quarters of Democratic voters who identified as supporters of democratic socialism said investigating the administration should be a top priority. Slightly less than half of Democrats who didn’t identify that way agreed. Democratic socialists were more likely to want Congress to end military aid to Israel and less likely to prioritize finding common ground.

Campbell, who identified as a democratic socialist, wants the next Congress to undo what Trump has done. “It feels a little cliche to just say roll back the past two years, but honestly, mostly just roll back the stuff he’s done the past two years,” he said.

House Democrats have begun planning a 100-day agenda in case they win control of Congress in November. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Democratic priorities include making life more affordable and conducting extensive oversight of the Trump administration. The poll found moderates in both parties were more likely than voters on their parties’ left and right wings to want Democrats and Republicans to find common ground.

What Republicans Want

Republican voters didn’t rally behind the president’s agenda as a top priority either. At least half of MAGA and non-MAGA Republicans want Congress to lower costs, end the Iran war and reduce the federal budget deficit. About six in 10 MAGA Republicans want Congress to prioritize Trump’s agenda, compared with about two in 10 Republicans who don’t support MAGA.

Richard Longo, a 74-year-old Republican in Lake Forest, California, wants the president’s agenda pursued but is especially concerned about balancing the budget. “You’re not going to balance the budget in one year, but you have to have a plan,” he said.

Lisa Ostlund, a 46-year-old MAGA supporter from Wayland, Massachusetts, wants Congress to prioritize Trump’s agenda. She doesn’t support everything Trump does, but credited his policies with helping her find housing after several years of homelessness. “You got to care about your American people,” Ostlund said. “He definitely doesn’t say it right, but you do have to put them first.”

The AP-NORC poll surveyed 1,119 adults from Oct. 8-12 using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to represent the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall was plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Why This Matters: The figures point to a gap between voters’ stated needs and the issues that usually dominate Washington. About eight in 10 name the cost of living as a top priority, putting pressure on whoever controls Congress after November to show progress on prices rather than partisan combat. Many voters don’t see accountability and affordability as competing goals. Democrats want both, and Jeffries has said his party’s plans include affordability and extensive oversight. The shared interest in ending the Iran war and finding common ground also suggests voters want institutions that work. For families like Campbell’s and Ostlund’s, the stakes are concrete: housing, prices and economic security. How Congress ranks those concerns will shape whether the election’s outcome brings relief.