Voter frustration about the economy went beyond gas prices, Voter Poll shows
Three-fours of voters described the economy as not good or poor, polls showed.
asserted
polls → go → economy
Economic woes helped fuel a Democratic takeover of the U.S. House and Senate in the midterm elections as voter frustration spanned from gas and grocery prices to healthcare costs and utility bills, according to ABC News Voter Polls, which are based on surveys of voters conducted on and before Election Day.
uncertain
which → help → Day
Three-quarters of House voters nationally described the economy as not good or poor, according to the Voter Poll.
uncertain
quarters → describe → Poll
A blue wave on Tuesday catapulted Democratic Senate candidates to victories in Republican strongholds such as South Carolina and Texas.
asserted
wave → catapult → Carolina
As of Wednesday, Democrats were projected to win 54 seats in the Senate, with competitive races yet to be called in Alaska and Mississippi.
asserted
races → project → Alaska
A strong performance in House contests, meanwhile, appeared to set Democrats on a path toward a comfortable majority in the lower chamber.
asserted
performance → appear → chamber
ABC News has projected Democrats will win the House.
asserted
Democrats → project → House
The Iran war sparked a rise of inflation earlier this year, squeezing household budgets and dampening consumer sentiment.
asserted
war → spark → sentiment
A survey of consumer sentiment conducted by the University of Michigan every month for more than seven decades showed its second-lowest level ever in October.
asserted
survey → conduct → October
Similarly, midterm voters nationwide voiced their discontent about inflation on Tuesday.
asserted
voters → voice → Tuesday
About 8 in 10 House voters (79%) said inflation had caused them and their family a severe or moderate hardship over the previous year, according to the Voter Poll.
uncertain
inflation → say → Poll
By contrast, 21% of House voters said inflation had caused them and their family no hardship at all over that period.
asserted
inflation → say → period
On Election Day, the national average price of a gallon of gas stood at $4.14 a gallon, which marked a rise of 1.16, or 38%, since the outbreak of the Iran war, AAA data showed.
asserted
data → stand → war
The U.S. average price of diesel registered at $6.28, an increase of more than $2.50 from a year earlier, according to AAA.
uncertain
price → register → AAA
About 6 in 10 House voters said they were very concerned with gasoline or diesel prices, according to the ABC News Voter Poll (59%).
uncertain
they → say → Poll
The same share also expressed frustration with grocery and food prices: 59%.
asserted
share → express → prices
The sense of strain on voters' budgets extended to costs like healthcare and utility bills: 59% said they were very concerned about healthcare costs and 53% said the same about utilities, according to the Voter Poll.
uncertain
% → extend → Poll
Those who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) saw their average monthly benchmark premium jump from $497 per month in 2025 to $625 in 2026, according to KFF, particularly after enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of last year.
uncertain
credits → get → year
Trump's signature "One Big Beautiful Bill" included a range of tax reductions for both individuals and businesses, but the measure also slashed some people's Medicaid benefits.
asserted
measure → include → benefits
Over half of House voters said that the Trump administration's policies have made their healthcare costs worse and by a 20-percentage point margin they said they trusted the Democratic Party more to handle healthcare, according to the Voter Poll.
uncertain
they → say → Poll
About 6 in 10 said they wanted the federal government to play a bigger role in helping Americans get healthcare, according to the Voter Poll.
uncertain
Americans → say → Poll
Utility bills also drew attention during midterm campaign season as some candidates, mostly Democrats, criticized artificial intelligence data centers, citing potential strain on local water systems and high residential utility bills as a result of increased demand.
asserted
candidates → draw → demand
ABC News' Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.
asserted
Kekatos → contribute → report
The Aporia
