Candidates target household bills in 2026 race
With 62% of voters citing cost of living as their top concern, campaigns are pitching specific fixes ranging from gas tax suspensions to grocery store permit waivers.
By Thomas Rogers ·
Voters are telling candidates that the price of daily survival has become the main reason they will go to the polls this year. A survey released this month by the health policy nonprofit KFF found that 62% of people identify the cost of living as their primary issue. Health care, gas, and transportation costs round out the list of top financial worries.
Political campaigns are responding by packaging various policy changes under affordability slogans. In North Carolina, former governor and Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper says he will block anti-competitive mergers and ban algorithmic pricing. He also plans to cap out-of-pocket drug costs and require data centers to pay their full share of power bills.
In New Mexico, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland is pitching an affordability agenda. She proposes waiving permit fees for grocery stores in food deserts and raising the state minimum wage to keep pace with inflation. She also wants to expand the Child Tax Credit and speed up housing approvals to lower rental costs.
Republican candidates are focusing on taxes and energy production. Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for New York governor, promises to cut utility bills in half. He also supports lifting the state ban on fracking to expand domestic energy production. In Texas, Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton proposes a $50,000 federal tax deduction for first-time homebuyers and doubling the child tax credit.
Democratic challengers in the South and West are offering their own distinct plans. Annie Andrews, the Democratic Senate candidate for South Carolina, wants to suspend federal gas and diesel taxes to provide immediate relief at the pump. In California, former health secretary Xavier Becerra is running for governor on a platform that includes freezing utility rates and home insurance premiums while declaring a housing state of emergency to speed up construction.
James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, frames high costs as a corruption crisis. He plans to cancel medical debt and repeal tax breaks for the top 1% of earners. Voters can verify these positions through their local election offices or by using resources from the League of Women Voters and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
Source: The San Bernardino Sun
