GRASSROOTS INTELLIGENCE REPORT
|
Edition 2 | September 2026
|
|
|
|
Americans for Prosperity has one of the largest grassroots operations in the country. AFP speaks to hundreds of thousands of voters in person, in their communities, all across America.
Americans Unscripted is what we’re hearing. Each month we report on what’s actually top of mind for voters, drawn straight from those conversations. This edition reflects 98,320 of them, gathered across eight states in August 2026.
|
|
|
REPUBLICANS HOLD A NARROW EDGE WITH SWING VOTERS ON COST OF LIVING
|
Affordability is far and away the number one concern in every state we canvassed in August, just as it did in June and July. But when our teams asked swing voters which party they trust more to bring costs down, the answer was close to a split decision. 44% said Republicans. 39% said Democrats. 16% said neither.
|
Which party do you trust more to lower the cost of living?
|
Question asked: Which party do you trust more to lower the cost of living? Based on 24,089 conversations with swing voters in August 2026.
|
Why it matters: In the states that will decide control of the Senate in November, Republicans go into the fall with an edge on the issue voters care most about, but not a commanding one. Two in five swing voters still trust Democrats more on cost of living, and one in six say neither party has earned their trust.
In Holland, Michigan, activist Berkris spoke with a father of four who described the pressure rising prices are putting on his family:
|
“He continues working and providing for his family but expressed frustration about how difficult everyday expenses have become. Although the voter remained skeptical that either candidate could dramatically change his circumstances, he said he planned to vote based on who he thought limited government overreach.”
|
|
|
|
WHAT’S THE FIX SWING VOTERS WANT?
|
Voters agree that the cost of living is their biggest concern. What they haven’t settled on is how to fix it, and the argument is increasingly about how big a role government should play in bringing prices down.
Charles from Waukee, IA had this to say: “Democrats have played with socialism since the 1930s, but now they’ve let the genie out of the bottle, and it’s out of control.”
Duane from Chillicothe, OH added, “I fully understand what socialism is. I strongly disagree with it, and it feels like the Democrat Party is embracing it.”
In a separate AFP survey of likely voters across five battleground states in August, swing voters were asked: “Which of the following two statements come closer to your view regarding the best path forward for the country?” Statement A centered on personal freedom and free market solutions; Statement B focused on government intervention through federal policies to steer the economy.
67% choose the freedom path. 6% choose government control. 27% aren’t sure.
The same voters were asked about the Democratic Socialists of America directly: “If a candidate running for political office in your state supports the values and platform of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), how would that impact your vote?”
Swing voters who say they’d be less likely to support that candidate outnumbered those more likely, 37% to 17%. But the plurality, 46% of them, are undecided about how it would affect their vote, if at all.
|
Net-Net: Many swing voters lean away from DSA-aligned candidates, but nearly half are undecided about how it would affect their vote. At the same time, 67% of those voters say that more freedom – not more government control – is the better direction for the country and economy.
Why it matters: Swing voters are hearing promises coming from the DSA, but they’re skeptical of their policies and their direction for the country. There’s an opening with these voters to offer a better alternative, and it’s the most important opportunity for candidates in the closing weeks of this campaign.
AFP-OH State Director Donovan shared this observation:
|
“Our biggest opportunity is responding to a meaningful shift we have seen in our conversations at the doors. Beginning in mid-August, concerns about socialism started appearing more frequently among voters, and that concern has continued to grow.”
|
|
|
|
TWO PATHS TO AFFORDABILITY
|
AFP believes the answers coming from the Democratic Socialists — government-subsidized groceries, government-run services, ending free-market capitalism, eliminating fossil fuel use, phasing out private insurance, and government takeover of health care — are the wrong ones. But it’s easy to understand why Americans under real financial pressure are entertaining them. When your grocery bill keeps climbing, a promise of cheaper food is worth listening to.
The problem is that it doesn’t work. The taxes required to fund that kind of redistribution just land on other Americans and create a drag on the very things that durably bring prices down: competition, expansion, investment, and innovation. It's important that Americans know Democratic Socialism is dragging us toward higher taxes, bigger government, and an all-out war on American energy.
We’re not done listening. In the months ahead, Americans Unscripted will keep reporting not just on what voters say is wrong, but on who they trust to fix it and how.
|
|
|
|
|
4201 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22203
|
Americans Unscripted reflects in-person conversations with voters conducted by AFP staff and volunteers across battleground states. It is not a scientific poll.
Swing and Republican-leaning audiences are defined by i360 propensity modeling, not by party registration.
|
© 2026 AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | PRIVACY POLICY
|
|
|
|
|
