ARLINGTON, VA— As reported by the New York Post, a new grassroots survey from Americans for Prosperity finds that affordability has become the dominant concern among voters in the most competitive Senate races heading into the 2026 midterms, outweighing every other issue combined — including immigration, healthcare, crime, and national security.
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Affordability is the runaway top concern for battleground Senate race voters heading into the midterms, and no other issue is even close, a massive grassroots survey found.
Focus on affordability dwarfed all other issues that voters raised combined, including immigration, energy, healthcare, crime, education, and national security, according to Americans for Prosperity’s “Americans Unscripted” report shared exclusively with The Post.
Over 42,844 voters were sampled on the ground in the seven top Senate races by Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group, via door knocks and other means.
“Republicans should be concerned about the cost of living,” Katelyn Bledsoe, vice president of external affairs for Americans for Prosperity, told The Post. “We’re seeing this over and over again.”
“Groceries are too expensive, gas too expensive. Health care is too expensive. But don’t get me wrong, Republicans did make some strides this Congress,” she said. “But more needs to be done right now.”
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Voters in Alaska, Iowa, Montana, Ohio, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Michigan were surveyed by Americans for Prosperity, which has a constant presence on the ground in those competitive states.
Of those states, Alaska had the highest percent of voters (74.4%) who named affordability as their top issue.
“My grocery bill is up to $300 a week feeding my teenagers,” a man named Donald from Londonderry, New Hampshire, vented to one of the group’s volunteers.
One potential silver lining for Republicans that Americans for Prosperity found is that voters have concerns about the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and often believe government is a driving force behind the affordability issue.
Citing a survey it did earlier this year, the group noted that 73% of respondents believe the government contributes to soaring prices and 61% felt that Uncle Sam makes life harder.
The group also pointed to a Gallup poll finding that 81% of Americans have a favorable view of free markets compared to 39% who see socialism favorably. Typically the term “free market” polls better than the word “capitalism.”
“I’m very concerned about democratic socialists and how far their principles are from our founding fathers,” a man named Patrick from Auburn Hills, Mich., told the group.
Americans for Prosperity, a long-standing grassroots group that helped fuel the tea-party movement that combatted then-President Barack Obama, plans to continue conducting similar studies and surveys of voters in critical battleground states heading into the Nov. 3 elections.
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Through broad-based grassroots outreach, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is driving long-term solutions to the country’s biggest problems. AFP activists engage friends and neighbors on key issues and encourage them to take an active role in building a culture of mutual benefit, where people succeed by helping one another. AFP recruits and unites activists in all 50 states behind a common goal of advancing policies that will help people improve their lives. For more information, visit www.AmericansForProsperity.org
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