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With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, a small but potentially decisive group of American voters remains uncommitted. A recent national NBC News poll found that 5% of voters had not yet decided which party they wanted to control Congress after November’s elections. NBC News spoke with 16 of those undecided voters, and their responses revealed a consistent theme: the rising cost of living is the single biggest factor shaping how they plan to vote.
The same poll showed 50% of voters favoring Democratic control of Congress, compared to 45% preferring Republicans. How undecided voters ultimately break could determine not only which party wins the majority but also by how many seats.
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Cost of Living Dominates Voter Concerns
In the latest NBC News survey, voters ranked cost of living and inflation as the country’s most pressing issues. That finding echoes what undecided voters said in interviews. Almost every one of the 16 voters NBC News spoke with named high prices as their top concern.
James Morton, a 67-year-old retired truck driver from Colorado, said neither party speaks for him. He described Democrats as having “gone too far to the left towards socialism” and Republicans as “globalists” who “don’t care about the working-class people in this country.” Morton, an independent who voted for Donald Trump in 2024, is now leaning toward third-party candidates for both the House and Senate. However, he said his final decision will hinge on one thing. “The No. 1 thing is getting the cost of things back down, inflation under control, and pretty much that’s it,” he said. He and his wife have already changed their grocery habits to cope with higher prices.
Aidan Valenzuela, a 19-year-old security worker in Texas, expressed similar frustration. “I don’t like how expensive things are, and I don’t think anyone does,” he said. Valenzuela has not yet decided whom to support in Texas’s competitive races for governor and the Senate.
Luke Melanson, 49, a retired construction worker from Louisiana, said rising grocery costs have forced him to eat less. “I’m not eating as much. I’m eating less food because I can only afford so much,” he said. Melanson identifies as a libertarian and has not committed to either party. He wants new candidates who understand financial hardship from personal experience. “I want a plumber. I want someone that ran a smaller business,” he said. “A teacher. I take anybody that isn’t a lawyer or someone so ultra-rich that the pay gap is so far they would never understand what I’m going through.”
Joanne, a 72-year-old Vermont independent who works for a heating company, said she plans to skip her state’s governor’s race entirely. She has not decided on other races either. Her husband depends on multiple medications, including insulin. “It’s pretty expensive and leaves nothing for anything else,” she said.
Darien Thompson, a 25-year-old unarmed mall security guard from South Carolina, pointed to gas prices as his biggest financial burden. The cost of commuting to work keeps rising. “It does take a mental load when it’s like, well, it’s going to cost this much to get to work and back, and I’m only making this much,” he said. Thompson does not see himself voting Republican in November. He voted for Kamala Harris in 2024 but said his 2026 vote depends entirely on which Democrat runs in his area.
Meanwhile, Ibraham, a 42-year-old truck driver in Ohio, said diesel prices have transformed his working life. His weekly fuel costs have jumped from $2,000 to between $3,500 and $3,700. “I’ve been driving for nine years. I’ve never seen anything like it. Never. Never, ever. Even during Covid, it didn’t get that high,” he said. Ibraham plans to vote for Democratic former Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio’s Senate race. He supported Harris in 2024 and frames his vote this year as opposition to Republicans rather than enthusiasm for Democrats. “It’s not about Brown,” he said. “It’s just voting against the Republicans for what they’re doing. That’s it.”
Trump’s Economy and the Iran War Fuel Doubt
Several undecided voters who previously supported Trump expressed concern about his handling of the economy and the ongoing war in Iran. Their dissatisfaction cuts across party lines.
Aaron L., a 30-year-old independent from California who works in tech, did not vote in 2024 due to a move. He said he most likely would have voted for Trump. Now, nearly two years into Trump’s second term, he describes the economy as “a mess.” He plans to support a Democrat this year to create a check on Republican power. “It seems like the party, the Republican Party, just follow whatever Donald Trump says,” he said.
Kevin, a 35-year-old civil engineer from Massachusetts, voted for Trump in 2024 hoping for economic improvement. He identifies as a Democrat. This year, he is leaning toward Republican Mike Minogue in the Massachusetts governor’s race while also leaning toward supporting Democratic Senator Ed Markey for re-election. The Iran war weighs heavily on him. “One of his platforms was no more useless wars, and here we are — we’re back,” Kevin said. He wants a Democratic-controlled Congress to end the conflict.
Essen Zali, a 46-year-old IT consultant from Texas, voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and then switched to Trump in 2024 after becoming frustrated with Biden over the conflict in Gaza. Now the Iran war has left him disillusioned again. He also criticized Trump’s domestic priorities. “All the construction work that was going on in Washington, that was not ever required. All the beautifications and everything, that’s secondary. The tariff war without a reason,” Zali said. “It seems like he is burning all the ships.”
Kaleb Saracino, 21, of Nevada, objects to the resources the United States is directing toward the Iran war and to American support for Israel. He wants the government to cut off that support, reduce costs and focus on domestic concerns. “The cost of groceries, the cost of gas, the cost of living have all gone up because of these endless wars,” he said. Saracino is leaning toward Democrats this year. However, he does not trust either party. “They’re looking out for themselves, their careers, because they’re career politicians, not so much the betterment of the American people,” he said.
Frustration With Both Parties Runs Deep
Beyond economic concerns, many of the undecided voters expressed a broader disillusionment with the political system itself. Several said they feel neither party genuinely represents their interests.
Alexis, a 20-year-old college student in Florida who voted for Harris in 2024, has not decided whom to support in the Florida Senate race. She blames congressional gridlock for broken promises. “They’ve made a bunch of promises that haven’t been fulfilled, and you know why? It’s because people cannot talk to each other these days. Congress is so divided,” she said. She believes younger, more open-minded candidates could improve the situation.
Connor Woodring, a 22-year-old independent from Colorado who also backed Trump in 2024, expressed deep cynicism about both major parties. “They’re one on the same side of the same coin, basically. Republicans are the warmongering side of it. Democrats are the side that try to pull at your heartstrings,” he said. Woodring prefers to vote for a third-party candidate but acknowledges that much can change before November.
Together, these 16 voters reflect a broader uncertainty that could shape the outcome of the 2026 midterms. Their frustrations are real and varied. However, the one issue that unites almost all of them is simple: they want prices to come down, and they are waiting to see which candidates — if any — can convince them they will actually deliver.
