With the 2026 midterm elections just days away, Democrats and Republicans are focused on driving more voters to the polls with the issue of affordability top of mind.
WASHINGTON —
With just days to go until the 2026 midterms, candidates are making their final pitches to voters, where the issue of affordability is taking center stage.
Both parties agree that the final days before Election Day are critical to driving voter turnout.
“Midterms are historically bad for the incumbent party. We’re trying to defy history,” Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said. “It’s all about turnout, turnout, turnout.”
Gruters argues the key to lowering prices is advancing President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, pointing to the administration’s focus on tax cuts, job creation and reduced prescription drug costs.
“We have to continue to give the president the tools that he needs, the majorities that he needs, so he can continue to pass good legislation and get Americans back to work and get the economy back up and going,” he said.
But Democrats are pushing back with a different economic message, highlighting plans to gain control of both chambers of Congress and bringing the cost of living down for Americans.
“We’re going to make sure that we harness the enthusiasm that voters have for Democrats all across the country,” Kendall Witmer, deputy communications director for the Democratic National Committee, said. “While Americans have been forced to pay more for everything, Trump and Republicans have been selling the White House to the highest bidder.”
Witmer added a Democratic majority would likely signal a major shift in foreign policy and a crackdown on tax cuts for the wealthy, among other priorities.
While affordability is the leading concern for voters, other issues are also shaping the midterm landscape. A recent Gallup poll found that healthcare and foreign policy are among the top priorities for voters, along with crime, immigration and the construction of AI data centers.
In the wind-up to Election Day, Republicans are hosting tele-rallies in more than a dozen states, while Trump is holding in-person rallies in states like Iowa and Kansas after initially canceling stops there.
Witmer says Democrats remain focused on direct voter outreach, including door-knocking and rallies, right up to Election Day.
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