Tariffs and Rising Costs Pressure Voters in Midterm Fight

Nearly 8 in 10 voters disapprove of President Donald Trump's handling of the cost of living, as Republican candidates in some battleground races try to distance themselves from his tariffs. The November 3 midterms will decide control of Congress for the final two years of Trump's presidency. Polls show voters ranking the economy and household costs ahead of immigration and crime.

The Cost of Living

About 8 in 10 voters named the economy or cost of living among their top election issues in an AP-NORC poll; about two-thirds named health care and the war in Iran. Immigration and crime ranked lower. Nearly 8 in 10 disapproved of Trump's handling of the cost of living, and about three-quarters disapproved of his performance on the economy.

A Fox News Poll reported by Newsweek put Trump's approval at 36%, a record low for either term, while 64% disapproved. Among independents, 22% approved and 78% disapproved. His approval rating on inflation was also 22%. The poll found that 74% rated the economy negatively, 53% expected it to worsen next year, nearly 60% named cost of living as their top economic concern, and 55% said inflation was not at all under control.

Diana Walker, a 65-year-old Democrat from Decatur, Georgia, said, "The world is going backwards. We can barely afford anything. Everybody's down. I don't care if you're a Democrat or Republican, we're all catching hell." DonnaJean Weber, a 72-year-old Republican from Manistee, Michigan, said, "Everything's going up," citing the war with Iran and other Trump decisions. "I don't agree with him fully on all of these tariffs, either. It's making this country look bad."

Robert Y. Shapiro, professor of political science and in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia, linked tariffs and the war in Iran to rising costs. "If prices, especially given the latest report on inflation, are one problem, then deal with the tariffs that are a cause. And also the war in Iran affecting energy prices and the costs of other goods dependent directly or indirectly on oil," he said.

Campaigns and State Policy

Republican candidates in some battleground races are trying to distance themselves from Trump's tariffs as he campaigns for Republicans. In Georgia, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff debated Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Mike Collins on Tuesday. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms appeared alone at an Atlanta Press Club debate Monday after Republican governor's race opponent Rick Jackson declined the invitation.

Trump campaigned in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday, emphasizing gun rights, national security and the economy. In Montana, he announced that the Pentagon would establish a new "super range" to test advanced weapons and military technologies. At a rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, he backed Rep. Andy Biggs, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, and other GOP candidates. He criticized Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and called for a victory in honor of Charlie Kirk.

Fox News live coverage reported that Democrats were preparing a 100-day agenda if they regained the House. Their priorities included lowering grocery, gas and health care costs, restoring expanded Affordable Care Act tax credits, reversing Republican Medicaid cuts, seeking votes to end Trump's tariffs and preparing investigations into Trump, his family and his administration. Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Leader, assigned lawmakers to prepare the investigations. Republicans held a narrow House majority.

Voters and the Ballot

The AP-NORC poll found Democratic voters more enthusiastic about voting than Republicans. About three-quarters of Democratic voters called voting in November's midterms extremely important, compared with roughly 6 in 10 Republicans. In Georgia, 188,667 people cast in-person ballots on the first day of early voting this week, about 40% more than on the first day in 2022.

About half of registered voters preferred Democratic control of the House or Senate, while roughly 4 in 10 preferred Republican control of each chamber and 15% were undecided. Seven in 10 voters in the Fox News Poll said they would vote in the midterm election to send a message to Trump. In a hypothetical House vote, 54% backed the Democratic candidate and 45% the Republican.

The AP-NORC poll surveyed 1,119 adults, including 925 registered voters, from Oct. 8-12. Its margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.9 percentage points for adults overall and plus or minus 4.2 points for registered voters. The Fox News Poll surveyed 1,202 registered voters nationwide from Oct. 9-12, with a 2.5% margin of error.