Overview  >  Priorities

Priorities

Not every concern can come first. These priorities rank what to act on by how many voters care, how much shared ground exists and how fast results can show.

Ranked priorities

1     Lower everyday costs. The top concern for voters of every party. Tariff relief on staples and fee transparency can move first.

2     Clean up government. Corruption was crucial for more than half of voters. A stock trading ban is popular in both parties and can pass in 100 days.

3     Cut health care costs. Half rate health care is extremely important, and voters trust Democrats on it by 20 points.

4     Restore the American Dream. Housing, child care and skills matter most to the young and lower-income voters who swung hardest.

5     Secure and fair immigration. The one issue where Republicans hold a trust edge; a balanced approach can close it.

6     Protect families from AI and energy costs. Open ground where many voters trust neither party.

7     Safe and trusted communities. Crime matters most to Republican voters, making it a bridge to voters the majority does not yet hold.

Where the parties agree and differ

Gallup, registered voters by party, October 1 to 19, 2026

IMAGE FILE AND ALT TEXT File: chart-partisan-gap.png Alt text: Dot plot comparing the share of Republicans, independents and Democrats rating 11 issues extremely important, sorted by partisan gap. Gaps are smallest on immigration and crime and largest on health care, income and wealth distribution, and climate change.

 

• To persuade, lead with low-gap issues: immigration, crime and the economy, which 82% of Republican and 88% of Democratic supporters rate very important (Pew).
• To mobilize, use high-gap issues: climate, income distribution and health care.
• Frame in cost terms: health care as a monthly bill reaches Republicans and independents better than health care as coverage policy.

Groups that moved, and what they want

Group	What happened	What they want
Voters under 30 (about 1 in 10 voters)	About 7 in 10 voted Democratic for the House, after splitting roughly evenly in 2024	Housing, child care, AI and job security; fast results
Hispanic voters	About 6 in 10 voted Democratic; Republican share fell from about 4 in 10 to about one-third	Prices and wages first; enforcement guardrails with border credibility
Households under $50,000 (about 3 in 10 voters)	Swung away from Republicans	Visible relief on utilities, groceries and health care
Moderates and independents	Moved toward Democrats	Bipartisan framing, ethics reform, measurable cost results
Republican voters	Base held, but about 4 in 10 want more checks on the president	Corruption, data center costs, public safety, congressional authority

 

Priorities have flipped since 2022

Rated extremely important	2022	2026	Change
Democrats: the economy	33%	59%	+26
Democrats: immigration	22%	41%	+19
Republicans: the economy	64%	39%	-25
Republicans: crime	55%	43%	-12
Independents: the economy	47%	51%	+4

 

The new majority’s own voters now hold it to an economic standard, and opposition voters will re-engage on the economy as soon as the other party is in charge of it.

Design options

Option	What it means	Trade-off
Persuasion first	Sequence low-gap priorities (costs, ethics, immigration, crime) ahead of others.	Wins independents and some Republicans; base may grow impatient.
Mobilization first	Lead with high-gap priorities that energize the base.	Holds the coalition; does little to widen it.
Balanced sequence (recommended)	Pair one persuasion priority with one base priority in each phase.	Keeps both groups engaged; requires discipline about timing.

 

Success metrics

Measure	Baseline	Target
House vote share among voters under 30	About 7 in 10	Held in 2028
Hispanic vote share	About 6 in 10	Held or rising
Independents trusting neither party	Over 4 in 10 on health care	Falling
Republicans backing at least one majority bill	None yet	Bipartisan votes on two or more priorities

 

Related pages

• Key actions
• Messaging and implementation

Sources for this page

• The Issues Voters Say Matter Most This Midterm (Gallup, October 29, 2026)
• Economy Ranks as Top Issue in Midterms for All Voters (Pew Research Center, October 8, 2026)
• AP Voter Poll: How key demographic groups voted in the 2026 midterms (AP via PBS News, November 3, 2026)
• AP Voter Poll 2026: how voters shifted since 2024 (secondary analysis of AP data)
• Health Care in the 2026 Midterm Election (KFF, updated November 4 to 5, 2026)

 

The 2026 Midterms: What Comes Next. Analysis updated November 8, 2026. Figures from election-day and pre-election surveys; projections may change as counting finishes.