Emerson ranked war with Iran first among voting factors — NDTV World
In the United States, voters in the November 3 midterm elections will determine who controls Congress during the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidential term. Governors and thousands of state officials will also be elected. According to NDTV World, the key campaign issues include the cost of living, the war with Iran, immigration, government ethics and the development of artificial intelligence.
Economy and war with Iran
Economic issues remain voters’ main concern. Annual inflation stood at 3.7% in September, while Americans face rising costs for gasoline, housing, electricity, food and loans. In an October Pew survey, 65% of respondents said Trump’s economic policies are harming the economy. Another 57% of participants in a Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy study included food, gasoline or utilities among their three biggest concerns.
A September Emerson poll ranked the war with Iran first among the factors it assessed. According to the source, the conflict, which has continued since February, has raised energy costs and become unpopular. Reuters/Ipsos reported that 34% of respondents approve of Trump’s actions regarding the conflict. Republican candidates in several competitive races called for an end to the hostilities, while four Republican senators joined Democrats in September in a vote to limit the conflict.
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Immigration, ethics and AI
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 55% of respondents disapprove of Trump’s actions on immigration. A Marist poll showed nearly equal levels of trust in Democrats and Republicans on this issue, whereas in 2024 the Republican Party held an advantage. In competitive House districts, 62% of Latino voters disapproved of the administration’s policies on deportations and immigration enforcement.
Government ethics ranked second after the economy in an open-ended Pew survey, with 9% of voters naming it. According to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, 97% of Americans believe there is some level of corruption in the federal government. Another 66% said they have little or no trust in Trump to avoid using the presidency to benefit his family’s businesses. Democrats promise to investigate the Trump family’s business dealings if they gain Congress’s subpoena powers, while Republicans call such accusations partisan attacks.
Artificial intelligence has also become an election issue because of concerns about jobs, security, regulation and data centers. Half of Pew survey participants said they were seriously concerned about AI’s impact on the economy, while 59% viewed politicians’ support for data centers in their communities negatively. In the Emerson study, AI regulation ranked immediately after immigration and gasoline prices among important issues.
