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\n

Not everyone thinks there\u2019s an affordability crisis.<\/p>\n

While many Americans say the cost of living is the top issue facing the U.S. more than any other, President Donald Trump\u2019s MAGA base does not always agree, according to a new analysis of The POLITICO Poll<\/a>. Just 28 percent of voters who self-identify as part of the MAGA movement say expenses have become less affordable since Trump took office.<\/p>\n

In fact, MAGA voters are more likely to say things have gotten better rather than worse.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a stark break from the rest of the country, including the voters who backed Kamala Harris in 2024 and those who voted for Trump but do not<\/i> identify as part of the MAGA movement.<\/p>\n

The Blue Light News Poll results reveal a complicated challenge for Republicans: In an election all about the economy, cost of living concerns are reinforcing partisanship divides \u2014 entrenching Democrats\u2019 opposition to Trump \u2014 while also driving a wedge among Republicans\u2019 own base. Now, GOP candidates are facing frustrated voters from all sides.<\/p>\n

Harris voters are far more likely than Trump voters to say groceries, gas and other expenses have gotten more expensive since the president took office, despite facing similar increases in household costs, according to a Blue Light News analysis of cost of living data.<\/p>\n

Democrats hope to ride that frustration to victory in November, and have made affordability their top messaging issue this fall. They\u2019re poised to benefit from the backlash to Trump\u2019s economic agenda \u2014 from his unpopular tariffs<\/u><\/a> to an Iran war that\u2019s raised gas prices<\/u><\/a> \u2014 which politicians and strategists widely agree are helping motivate Democratic voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose Democrats are definitely going to go vote,\u201d said Michigan-based GOP strategist Jason Roe. \u201cAnd we’ve got some voters that are a little harder to get to the polls, and when they are mad, frustrated, disappointed, disillusioned, in disagreement, and we don’t have them motivated, that’s going to be a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of those disillusioned Trump voters, The Blue Light News Poll suggests, are the ones who don\u2019t identify as part of the MAGA base.<\/p>\n

Consider the 52% of non-MAGA Trump voters who say the cost of living in their area is the \u201cworst\u201d it has ever been: Nearly half say they either wouldn\u2019t vote for a Republican in the midterms or are still making up their minds.<\/p>\n

But what is a boon to Democrats today could be a problem for them later. Partisanship also shapes how Americans remember the economy in years past, the poll results show.<\/p>\n

Harris voters have a more favorable memory toward Democratic presidents and Trump voters have a more favorable memory toward Republican presidents, each saying life was more affordable when their party held the reins.<\/p>\n

Democrats and Republicans simply don\u2019t share an understanding of the economic reality \u2014 and without a common frame for the past, nor whether things are improving in the present, any party in power stands to lose its grip against an increasingly frustrated opposition when the economy is the key issue.<\/p>\n

This year, that will be a major challenge for Republicans.<\/p>\n

MAGA vs. Non-MAGA vs. Democrats<\/h4>\n

The Blue Light News Poll asked adults across America last month about affordability in their area, including about local prices and their memory of when prices were more affordable in the past.<\/p>\n

Across the board, Harris voters outpaced Trump voters in their pessimism about the economy. And among Trump voters, non-MAGA voters outpaced their MAGA counterparts.<\/p>\n

For example, 70% of Harris voters and 52% of non-MAGA Trump voters say the cost of living is worse than they can \u201cever remember it being.\u201d MAGA Trump voters disagreed \u2014 a 43% plurality said the cost of living today is bad, but they could \u201cremember times when it was worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The results are a warning sign about the Trump coalition: In question after question, the president\u2019s most loyal base is still sticking with him, but among the non-MAGA voters he convinced to back him in 2024, their frustration more closely resembles how Harris voters feel.<\/p>\n

“There will be voters who voted for Donald Trump in 2024 who know he’s made life more expensive and won’t vote for his party this time,” said longtime Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson. “Some will vote for a Democrat, some won’t vote. But they won’t cast a ballot for a Republican who they blame for the high cost of living.”<\/p>\n

Of the non-MAGA Trump voters who say the cost of living is the worst they\u2019ve seen, just 53% say they would vote for a Republican if the midterms were held tomorrow. More than 25% would vote for a Democrat or third-party candidate. The rest say they would stay home or have not yet made up their minds.<\/p>\n

Changes to family budgets are similar on average among those that voted for Trump and those who voted for Harris, according to a Blue Light News analysis of data from the Living Wage Institute, a nonpartisan public benefit corporation that produces cost of living data. Across the country, family budgets have increased by 2.5 percent on average from early 2025 to early 2026, according to the Living Wage Institute.<\/p>\n

But it is the concept of who is to blame<\/i> that creates division among each voting bloc. Though each group is concerned about affordability \u2014 the cost of living is the most common concern for each \u2014 only MAGA Trump voters remain sympathetic to the current administration.<\/p>\n

Young voters \u2014 and young men in particular<\/u><\/a> \u2014 have also grown disillusioned<\/u><\/a> with the Trump administration amid cost of living concerns, a warning sign for the GOP. Among those under the age of 25 who say the cost of living is the worst it\u2019s ever been, 56% say they trust Democrats to bring down the costs. Just 20% trust Republicans to do the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung people feel like the system isn’t working for them,\u201d said Joe Mitchell, a Republican running for Iowa\u2019s open and competitive 2nd District. Mitchell, who is 29, would be the second Gen Z member to join the House if elected. \u201cYou see them being attracted to some of these DSA candidates like Zohran Mamdani. And they’re going to be attracted to these candidates if we don’t figure something out for them now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Partisanship even drives memory<\/h4>\n

Partisanship also colors how Americans see the past, making it difficult for any incumbent party to convince voters of plans for the future.<\/p>\n

The Blue Light News Poll asked respondents whether it was easier or harder to afford everyday items in years past compared to today in one of two ways: In one, they were asked about a specific calendar year, and in another, the presidential administration in power at the time.<\/p>\n

For each question framed around a calendar year, Trump and Harris voters gave similar answers. But when asked to compare how easy or hard it was to afford things during a particular presidential administration compared to today, their answers split along party lines.<\/p>\n

For example, just over a third of both Harris and Trump voters said it was \u201ceasier\u201d to afford everyday items in 2024 compared to today. But when asked the same question about the \u201cend of [former President] Joe Biden\u2019s term,\u201d 55% of Harris voters said everyday items were easier to afford, compared to 39% of Trump voters.<\/p>\n

The results show that Americans lack a common frame of reference on the issue most people care about \u2014 the cost of living \u2014 creating a massive hurdle for politicians hoping to win over new voters who may not be willing to listen.<\/p>\n

The same effect happens among Trump voters looking back on a Democratic administration. When asked about costs in 2010 compared to today, 63% of Trump voters said everyday items were easier to afford then compared to now. But when asked about costs during the \u201cmiddle\u201d of former President Barack Obama\u2019s first term \u2014 or 2010 \u2014 only 36% of Trump voters said the same.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s only when a political party is attached that Americans\u2019 version of the truth changes.<\/p>\n

When Blue Light News asked whether it was easier or harder to afford everyday items \u201cjust before the Covid-19 pandemic\u201d or in \u201c2019,\u201d majorities from both parties said things were easier to afford then, and in both framings.<\/p>\n

The challenge for both parties is that voters don\u2019t know \u201cwho has a better plan for the future,\u201d GOP communications strategist Kevin Madden said. \u201cInstead, what you\u2019re seeing is a gap \u2014 or a canyon \u2014 emerge between the rest of the country and Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cWhen you see that gap emerge, watch out if you\u2019re an incumbent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alisa Vasquez and Andrew Howard contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not everyone thinks there\u2019s an affordability crisis. While many Americans say the cost of living is the top issue facing the U.S. more than any other, President Donald Trump\u2019s MAGA base does not always agree, according to a new analysis of The Blue Light News Poll. Just 28 percent of voters who self-identify as part of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27301\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}