1) Inflation
According to several different pollsters, the top issue for American voters heading into the Midterms is inflation. Inflation has been an increasingly concerning issue for Americans as it soared to 8.2 percent this September, with the rise most notable in gas and food prices. The price for gas is now at least 50 percent higher than it was when Biden first took office in January 2021. Similarly, from August 2021 to August 2022, food prices increased by an average of 11.4 percent. Reports indicate as November comes closer, most Americans are looking to vote with their wallets.
2) Jobs/Economy
Along the same vain, Americans are worried about the state of the economy, and while jobs numbers have not been drastically affected yet, voters fear that the current state of the economy will affect them in all aspects of their lives. Recent polls differentiate between Americans’ concerns over the inflation and the economy and jobs. While Americans are more concerned about the inflation numbers and how it has already directly affected their daily lives, there is a fear about where the economy and jobs market is headed.
3) Crime
The growing crime rate in the U.S. is another important issue Americans are hoping to reform. According to a Monmouth poll over 75 percent of Americans consider this issue either “very important” or “extremely important”. According to the most recent statistics, the crime rates have risen nearly 30 percent in recent years, with that number significantly higher in major cities.
4) Immigration
According to the same Monmouth poll, 65 percent of Americans consider immigration either very or extremely important, with only 9 percent considering it “not an issue.” Federal authorities were on pace to make more than 2.3 million arrests along the U.S.-Mexican border during the 2022 fiscal year. That nearly doubles the previous record of 1.7 million arrests along the border. Along with this, the Biden administration is set to import nearly 65,000 H-2B foreign visa workers to take blue-collar American jobs. The Biden administration has also been accused several times for having “secret flights” for illegal immigrants to get into the U.S.
5) Abortion
Abortion has been one of the most politically dividing issues of the past three decades. From 2000 through 2022, the number of Americans that considered themselves “pro-life” or “pro-choice” had been nearly 50-50. With the recent Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the court overturned the previous Roe v. Wade ruling. The ruling happened just five months prior to the Midterm elections, and politicians on both sides are using it to their advantage. Many Democrat politicians are promising to protect abortion rights, whereas many Republican candidates are trying to implement more pro-life policies and campaigning on those promises. According to the recent polls, 56 percent of Americans view this issue as “very important” or “extremely important.”
