Voters Say Congress Is Out of Touch on Monthly Spending, Poll Shows

An AI-driven poll of 974 likely 2026 voters conducted from early October found that 86 % believe their current congressperson or senator cannot accurately guess what they spend each month. Of those, 55 % think lawmakers underestimate expenses while 31 % think they overestimate them; only 14 % say their elected officials understand their monthly budgets. The same survey showed Democrats leading Republicans 49 % to 42 % on a generic congressional ballot, a margin just inside the poll’s 3.2-point error range. Inflation, measured by the consumer price index, rose from 3 % in January 2025 to 3.4 % in August, and credit-card spending per household increased 6.2 % in September, according to the Bank of America Institute. Lower-income wage growth slipped from 4.7 % in August to 4.5 % in September, leaving spending growth outpacing earnings for many households.

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President Donald Trump has framed the upcoming midterms around “pocketbook” issues, pledging a $5,000 dividend to every adult if Republicans retain Congress and promising $500 checks for nearly one million Americans allegedly overcharged for marketplace health insurance. An additional $90 is slated for roughly 20 million Medicare recipients to help cover Part B premiums. The administration also announced an oil supply deal with Venezuela, a diesel-fuel agreement with Russia, and tariff reductions on Argentine and Brazilian beef—measures presented as ways to curb rising gas prices, which have topped $4 per gallon.

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Geoffrey Skelley, chief elections analyst for Decision Desk HQ, said voters feel the economy is worsening and that high gas prices are fueling frustration with the Republican Party. GOP strategist Ron Bonjean warned that the perceived benefits of recent policy moves have not yet “penetrated” to voters. The president reiterated that a Republican victory would deliver the promised cash checks and broader economic success.

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• “When you ask [people] how they’re feeling about the economy, they don’t feel like things are getting better,” — Geoffrey Skelley, DDHQ’s chief elections analyst

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• “The main thing you’re engaged with politically is the fact that my gas price is over $4 now at the gas pump, and … that’s going to breed frustration with the party in power, and the buck stops with the Republicans this time around,” — Geoffrey Skelley, DDHQ’s chief elections analyst

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• “If the Democrats win, you will have an economic depression the equivalent of 1929,” — Trump, the president

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• “When an overwhelming majority of Americans believe their elected representatives do not understand what they spend every month, it’s a stunning disconnect,” — Ron Bonjean, explained GOP strategist

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