Midterm Race Pits Voters Against Rising Costs and Power

Most likely voters said they didn’t expect to be better off financially, no matter who wins control of Congress on Nov. 3. The election is nine days away, and campaigns are urging people to choose between parties even as polls show broad doubts that either can make life more affordable.

The costs land below

Gas and diesel prices, groceries, interest rates, inflation and the cost of living are driving voter concerns. Reports from the Midwest described tariffs pushing up fertilizer costs for farmers and imported components for manufacturers, and some manufacturers laid off workers. Trump’s decision to allow imported beef angered ranchers, while cuts to health care and grant programs added pressure.

In a CBS News/YouGov survey, most respondents didn’t think either party had a clear plan or would leave people financially better off. More expected to be worse off if Republicans won, and most likely voters felt Trump’s policies were making them worse off financially. Voters who considered inflation very important, along with those who said prices were difficult or a hardship, mostly supported Democrats.

The survey’s model estimated Democrats on pace for 229 House seats, with a possible range into the 230s, while Republicans still had a narrow path to hold the majority. The Democratic lead had persisted but hadn’t grown. Undecided or uncertain voters tended to profile as more Republican. The model drew on the poll, past voting, district characteristics, demographics and historical patterns; estimates could change as further data became available.

A ballot cast against something

The survey described an “avoidance” election: voters were more motivated to prevent outcomes than to gain something. More than seven in 10 voters supporting Democrats said their congressional vote was intended to oppose Trump. Four in 10 Democratic voters said their party lacked a clear plan and that opposing Trump was their main motivation. Most Republican voters said they were voting to support Trump, though four in 10 Republican voters said their vote wasn’t about him.

Cheryl McWilliams, 67, said Obama’s Detroit speech “pumps you up to vote,” adding: “If Detroit doesn’t vote, whoever’s running is going to lose, period. I’m just hoping we can reach voters that don’t vote. They think it doesn’t matter, and it does.” Chunnika Hodges, a Detroit resident who canvassed for El-Sayed, said some Black voters backed Rogers because they saw little change after years of voting Democratic, while others were wary of El-Sayed’s progressive policies. “We don’t lean to the conservative, but we have seen that within our community,” Hodges said. “There are conservative Blacks, conservative Democrats.”

Obama campaigned in Ohio and Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 24, urging voters to back Democratic candidates. Trump campaigned in Georgia and planned to visit Michigan on Sunday. In Detroit, Obama backed Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson. Republicans accused El-Sayed of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood; he denied the accusation. Trump called El-Sayed “Mohammed” and falsely described him as a “jihadist.”

Campaign promises, campaign machinery

In Ohio, Obama criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over an advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Democratic nominee Dr. Amy Acton. The ad shows Donna Arthur calling her daughter “a liar” and suggesting she has mental health issues. Acton said she hadn’t seen her mother since she was 12, after years of neglect and abuse. Ramaswamy’s campaign said it would spend $4 million to run the ad through Election Day. Trump defended it, saying: “The mother said that Amy Acton is a liar, and she’s no good. And you know what? I don’t think you can get a better reference on that.” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and other Republican leaders called for the ad’s removal.

A separate CNBC survey found 44% feared Trump would be allowed to operate beyond his constitutional power, including 74% of Democrats and 45% of independents. Twenty-eight percent worried about implementation of Democratic Socialists of America policies, including 54% of Republicans and 22% of independents. Asked about each party controlling Congress, respondents could choose up to two concerns; those selections didn’t necessarily represent their top election priorities.

The campaign trail offers the familiar contest for control: Obama and Trump urged voters to back their parties, while surveys captured fears about prices, corruption and what the other side might do. The CBS survey interviewed 2,355 U.S. adults from Oct. 21-23, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points for the total sample. The contest may decide who holds Congress. Most respondents still didn’t expect either party to leave them better off.