Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
asserted
that → welcome → House
In today’s edition, we chat with voters who remain undecided about key elections in their states in the final stretch of the campaign.
asserted
who → chat → campaign
Plus, Jonathan Allen digs into a striking admission from President Donald Trump.
asserted
Allen → dig → Trump
— Adam Wollner
How undecided voters are weighing their 2026 election options
By Bridget Bowman, Sarah Sternhagen and Hallie Jackson
asserted
voters → weigh → Jackson
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 President 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.
asserted
they → speak → votes
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
President Donald Trump said yesterday that he’s done “a very bad job” of explaining to the American people why he thinks the economy is doing well.
asserted
economy → say → people
At one level, it was a rare acknowledgment from Trump — who has ranked himself as the greatest president in American history — that he has failed at anything.
But there’s a disconnect between Trump’s view of the economy, which he and his advisers have been talking up since he reclaimed the Oval Office last year, and the sentiments of most Americans.
asserted
he → rank → Americans
Interviews with voters across the country and public opinion surveys show that Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy broadly.
asserted
Americans → show → economy
Specifically, they are unhappy with his inability to curb inflation.
asserted
they → curb → inflation
Trump’s tariff agenda and the Iran war have put upward pressure on prices for everything from gas to groceries.
asserted
agenda → put → groceries
The disconnect threatens to further erode Trump’s credibility with voters who feel the squeeze of rising prices and interest rates but hear him describing the economy as strong.
asserted
him → threaten → economy
With the midterms little more than a month away, it would be political malpractice for the president to tell voters that he’s failed on substance, even if he believed that.
asserted
he → tell → that
His challenge is to tell voters both that he hears what they’re saying about the economy and that it is better than they think it is — without blaming them.
asserted
it → tell → them
For a while, Trump pointed his finger at White House aides, arguing that they weren’t doing a good enough job of selling his record.
asserted
they → point → record
But his press secretary left, and there is no imminent plan to replace her.
asserted
secretary → leave → her
It will be up to voters to decide whether the failure is in his delivery or in his policy.
asserted
failure → decide → policy
Congressional staffers had planned an official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France two weeks before the election.
asserted
staffers → plan → election
It was canceled after NBC News asked about the itinerary.
asserted
News → cancel → itinerary
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is seeking to make inroads with MAHA voters.
asserted
Sayed → seek → voters
Read more →
- 💰 Cash dash: Senate Leadership Fund is pouring another $14 million into Ohio amid concerns over GOP Sen. Jon Husted’s campaign.
asserted
Fund → read → campaign
In Texas, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has adopted a different posture on energy as a statewide figure than he did earlier in his career.
asserted
he → adopt → career
Read more →
- ⚖️ SCOTUS watch: The Supreme Court said it would consider whether immigrants subject to deportation can be held in detention indefinitely while their cases are adjudicated.
asserted
cases → read → detention
Trump said in an interview with Time magazine that he’d consider pre-emptively pardoning members of his administration before the end of his term.
asserted
he → say → term
That’s all From the Politics Desk for now.
asserted
That → ’ → Desk
Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.
asserted
newsletter → compile → Wollner
If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
And if you’re a fan, please share with everyone and anyone.
asserted
you → have → everyone
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
