James Morton isn’t sure which party he’s going to support in November’s elections, and he doesn’t like his options.
asserted
he → go → options
Morton, a 67-year-old retired truck driver in Colorado, said Democrats have “gone too far to the left towards socialism,” while Republicans are “globalists” who “don’t care about the working-class people in this country.”
asserted
who → say → country
Morton, an independent who voted for Donald Trump in 2024, is leaning toward backing third-party candidates in races for the House and the Senate this year.
asserted
who → vote → House
But he said his decision will come down to the high cost of living.
asserted
decision → say → living
“The No. 1 thing is getting the cost of things back down, inflation under control, and pretty much that’s it,” Morton said.
asserted
Morton → get → control
He noted that he and his wife have been buying different groceries as they navigate high prices.
asserted
they → note → prices
Morton is among the 5% of voters surveyed last month in a national NBC News poll who said they weren’t sure which party they wanted to see controlling Congress after this year’s elections.
asserted
they → survey → elections
NBC News spoke with 16 of those undecided voters as they weigh their votes this fall, some of whom declined to share their full names discussing politics.
asserted
some → speak → politics
These voters feel little loyalty to either party — and many of them said that’s in part because they aren’t sure either party understands what’s important to them.
asserted
what → feel → them
Almost every one said high costs are top of mind.
asserted
costs → say → mind
In the NBC News poll, 50% of voters said they wanted Democrats to win control of Congress in the midterms, while 45% said they wanted Republicans to have control.
asserted
Republicans → say → control
How the undecided voters in between resolve their strong, sometimes conflicting feelings could ultimately decide what Congress looks like in 2027, from who controls the majority to how many seats that party holds.
uncertain
party → resolve → seats
Voters’ focus on making ends meet has been standing out in recent polling.
asserted
ends → make → polling
In the latest NBC News survey, voters ranked cost of living and inflation as the most important issues facing the country, followed by government corruption and threats to democracy.
asserted
voters → rank → democracy
“I don’t like how expensive things are, and I don’t think anyone does,” said Aidan Valenzuela, a 19-year-old security worker in Texas, who said he hasn’t decided whom to support in his state’s hotly contested races for governor and the Senate.
asserted
he → like → governor
Joanne, a 72-year-old Vermont independent who works for a heating company, said she plans to sit out her state’s governor’s race, and she hasn’t decided whom she’ll support farther down the ballot.
asserted
she → work → ballot
“I just want somebody to bring some of these prices back down,” she said.
asserted
she → want → prices
Joanne said her husband relies on multiple medications, including insulin.
asserted
husband → say → insulin
“It’s pretty expensive and leaves nothing for anything else.”
asserted
It → ’ → anything
Luke Melanson, 49, of Louisiana, who is retired from construction work, said the rising cost of groceries has changed how he shops.
asserted
he → retire → groceries
“I’m not eating as much.
asserted
I → eat → much
I’m eating less food because I can only afford so much,” he said.
asserted
he → eat → much
Melanson doesn’t identify with either political party, instead considering himself a libertarian, and he declined to say where he was leaning in the midterm election.
asserted
he → identify → election
But he is frustrated with both parties and wants to see new candidates emerge who can personally relate to his financial position.
asserted
who → frustrate → position
“I want a plumber.
asserted
I → want → plumber
I want someone that ran a smaller business, like a Kroger’s,” he said.
asserted
he → want → Kroger
I take anybody that isn’t a lawyer or someone so ultra-rich that the pay gap is so far they would never understand what I’m going through.”
asserted
I → take → what
Meanwhile, South Carolinian Darien Thompson, a 25-year-old unarmed security guard at a mall, sees gas as the biggest financial woe of the moment.
asserted
Thompson → see → moment
The cost of his commute is only going up.
asserted
cost → go → commute
“It does take a mental load when it’s like, well, it’s going to cost this much to get to work and back, and I’m only making this much,” Thompson said.
asserted
Thompson → take → much
It doesn’t bode well for his long-term hopes of owning a home, and he doesn’t see any current politicians stepping up to tackle the issues in a way that has earned his support.
asserted
that → bode → support
“Politicians are getting into these petty squabbles,” he said.
asserted
he → get → squabbles
“But it’s, like, none of us can afford houses.”
asserted
none → ’ → houses
Thompson doesn’t see himself voting for a Republican in November, but he’s still undecided.
asserted
he → see → November
He has leaned Democratic before, voting for then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, but his vote this year will depend entirely on the specific candidate Democrats run in his area.
asserted
Democrats → lean → area
Ibraham, a 42-year-old truck driver in Ohio who isn’t registered with either party, said he plans to back Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown in the Senate race in his state.
asserted
he → register → state
Ibraham supported Harris in 2024 and said his vote this year is driven almost entirely by the surging price of diesel and a higher cost of living.
asserted
vote → support → living
“I’ve been driving for nine years.
asserted
I → drive → years
I’ve never seen anything like it.
asserted
I → see → it
Even during Covid, it didn’t get that high,” Ibraham said, noting that his weekly diesel costs have jumped from $2,000 to $3,500 or $3,700.
asserted
costs → get → 3,500
…and 45 more, not listed.
The Aporia
