Cost of Living, AI and the Iran War: What US Voters Say Is Guiding Their Midterm Votes

Millions of Americans will head to the polls on 3 November in midterm elections that will determine control of the Republican-held House of Representatives and Senate, as well as the governorships of 36 states. Guardian readers across the US described their concerns and disillusionment with the political climate, ranging from the rising cost of living and immigration to the climate crisis, artificial intelligence, big tech and the US's overseas wars.

Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to 36 percent, according to a New York Times/Siena poll conducted this month, and inflation has reached 3.7 percent. For many voters, the cost of living is the central concern ahead of the midterms.

Kathryn Warren, a retired staff member from Dare county schools who lives on Hatteras Island, North Carolina, said she and her husband had already voted early. She said they are struggling in this economy, that living in a remote area means the cost of gas takes a big chunk of their social security, that groceries and medicine are outrageously priced, and that the medicine keeping her alive costs $7,000 a month before insurance.

A 36-year-old counsellor in Tennessee described financial pressures compounded by health issues. Her migraine medication costs nearly $2,000 out of pocket for a month's supply, and her health insurance has agreed to pay for only five months. After 24 years of chronic migraines, she said, this is the first medication that has ever reduced the pain, so switching to a cheaper alternative is not an option — yet the cost is financially prohibitive.

Vicki Stein, a 66-year-old retired marketing communications professional from Alpine Township, Michigan, said she had already voted for Democrats across the ticket. She said working Americans cannot afford healthcare, gas or groceries due to tariffs, and that children are losing Snap benefits. She also pointed to a cyclospora outbreak across 27 states this summer that was traced to contaminated lettuce.

George, a 23-year-old business school graduate in Houston, Texas, linked the affordability crisis to the administration's policies and criticised Trump's tariff scheme. He said the priorities of both parties are more in line with billionaires than regular people, and praised politicians such as James Talarico for focusing on affordability and quality of life for average Americans.

Opposition to the US war in Iran and military aid to Israel is another driving concern. Joel Young, a 66-year-old retired civil litigator in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said the single most important issue in any federal election is whether a candidate will approve another dollar, weapon or material to support Israel.

A 30-year-old machine operator and father in Bogalusa, Louisiana, who voted for Trump in 2024, also criticised the war against Iran, saying every day it continues scandalises service members, taxpayers and the nation, steals purchasing power from workers and steals future prosperity from children through a climbing national debt.

Voters also raised concerns about the growing influence of AI and big tech. Dave Neps, a 74-year-old retired teacher in Georgia, said he is concerned about an AI financial bubble that reminds him of the dotcom crash of the late 1990s and the financial crash of 2008, in both of which he and his wife lost money. Joy, a 47-year-old insurance executive in north Georgia, said local officials are being bought off to build datacenters in her rural area with massive tax incentives, ignoring constituents, and called for datacenter moratoriums.

The climate crisis and environmental protection were prominent concerns, particularly among older voters. David Tucker, a 57-year-old registered nurse in Washington who grew up camping and fishing on Utah's public forests and deserts, named the climate crisis and public lands protection as his main concerns, along with protecting democracy and healthcare funding. Kaye, a 71-year-old resident of Bothell, Washington, said the degradation of the planet is her greatest concern because the world is so close to a catastrophic tipping point.

Immigration enforcement and fears of voter intimidation were other major concerns. Katie, a 34-year-old arts professional in Denver, Colorado, pointed to the killings of two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal immigration agents in Minnesota earlier this year, saying she is voting for candidates who will defund and prosecute ICE.

Julie Stielstra, a retired librarian living in rural Kansas who will work as a poll worker next week, said she is apprehensive about the possible presence of ICE — recently active in her state — and of armed government agents or self-appointed poll watchers at polling stations, though she trusts her county clerk's vigilance. Richard Corcoran, a 63-year-old licensed clinical social worker in Lumberton, North Carolina, said he does not have faith that the federal government under Trump will respect the outcome of the election and expects problems in the aftermath.