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Poll shows top issues for voters heading into midterms

deseret.com · 8h · first reportShare

With just about five weeks to go until the 2026 November midterm elections, voters overwhelmingly say the issues most affecting their decision in the voting booth are inflation and the U.S. economy. According to a new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics survey, conducted by Morning Consult, the top issues in the upcoming election are related to affordability, both for voters in Utah and nationwide. Experts say that it’s largely unsurprising that voters say affordability issues are top of mind this year. While recent national trends show it to be a driving force in all elections, this year’s midterms come as the U.S. enters its seventh month of war with Iran, which led to sharp increases in the price of gas. Global oil supply has been constricted by limited passage through the Strait of Hormuz, causing gas prices to jump by more than 40% since the start of the war in late February. Mike Kofoed, an economics professor at the University of Tennessee, explained that high gas prices