Democrats gain ground on cost of living
A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed Aug 24 found that registered voters now favor the Democratic Party over the Republican Party on handling the cost of living by the widest margin since the question was first asked in October 2025. The survey of 951 registered voters showed 36% picked the Democrats as having a better plan or approach, while 28% chose the Republicans. The remaining 37% said they were unsure or believed neither party was better on the issue.
The results come as voters consistently rank the cost of living as the most important factor for their decisions in the November midterms, when the entire House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats are up for election. The poll's 8-point gap marks the largest Democratic advantage on the issue since Reuters/Ipsos began tracking it.
Democrats began seeing small advantages on the topic after President Donald Trump launched a war on Iran in February, a move that pushed petrol prices near record highs. Tehran maintains a de facto blockade on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, keeping global oil prices elevated. Trump said last week that no peace talks were scheduled.
Republican strategists weigh in
Republican political consultant Jeanette Hoffman said the findings pose a challenge for Republicans, although she cautioned that Democrats should not overstate the shift. 'I don't think it's great for Republicans,' Hoffman said. But she noted that with 37% of respondents saying they were unsure or saw neither party as better, 'I would rather be eight points ahead on the issue versus eight points down. But I don't think Democrats should be feeling great about it either.'
Hoffman suggested Republican candidates could close the gap by emphasizing tax cuts and by warning that the Democratic Party is becoming more extreme as democratic socialists gain influence. She said that message is important because a significant share of voters remain unconvinced by either party.
Republican strategist Christopher Nicholas also cited the poll as evidence of vulnerability among the GOP. Nicholas told Reuters that Trump has not done enough to address concerns about the cost of living, and he described the situation as 'an easy layup for the party out of power, which are the Democrats.'
Democratic efforts on affordability
Several Democratic candidates have made affordability the central theme of their campaigns. James Talarico, a Texas Democrat running for a U.S. Senate seat, appeared in television ads carrying bags of groceries as evidence that Texans are 'drowning' in higher prices. His race is seen as leaning Republican or a toss-up in a traditionally deep red state.
Democrats have called for raising the federal minimum wage, and those aligned with democratic socialists propose expanding the federal Medicare insurance program to cover all Americans.
The new data follows an earlier Reuters/Ipsos poll in August that showed Democrats leading on economic stewardship for the first time in about a decade. The latest poll shows Democrats holding a narrower 2-point edge on the broader economy.
Remainder of the race
The national survey, which included 1,215 U.S. adults overall, had a margin of error of three percentage points. The results coincide with Trump's approval ratings slipping to their lowest levels of either of his terms, with only half of Republicans approving his handling of the cost of living, compared to about eight in ten who approve of his overall presidency.
Immigration and crime remain areas where Republicans maintain an advantage in the voter breakdown, as the election season heads into the fall.