Government corruption a top issue for US midterm voters, exclusive poll finds | 2026 US midterm elections

Government corruption has become a major issue in the upcoming US midterm elections, with an overwhelming majority of Americans saying US government officials use their public office for personal financial gain, according to an exclusive Harris poll for the Guardian.

Nearly nine in 10 Americans said government corruption, defined as elected officials putting their own financial interests or those of their donors ahead of those of the public, is a problem, the survey found.

Three-quarters (76%) of voters said elected officials care more about making themselves rich than improving the economy for ordinary citizens. Voters were more likely to say government corruption (65%) is more concerning than corporate power (29%). Just under 10% said it did not concern them.

The rising cost of living is still expected to be the driving force in the election, with 36% of voters saying it is the most important issue in how they plan to vote in the midterms. But among a range of other issues, including immigration, housing costs, abortion, crime, security and AI, corruption was the second major problem.

These results come nearly two years into Donald Trump’s second term, during which the president has reshaped Washington figuratively and literally.

The president demolished the historic East Wing of the White House to make way for a $400 million ballroom — $335 million of which he says came from private donors, including companies like Apple and Nvidia. The federal government lost more than 420,000 jobs after Elon Musk gained the authority to introduce huge job cuts after donating nearly $300 million to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Meanwhile, Trump’s sons run the lucrative family cryptocurrency business that has earned Trump $1 billion since returning to the White House. And Trump himself accepted a $400 million private jet as a gift from the Qatari royal family.

These actions have not gone unnoticed. Voters in the Harris poll were twice as likely to say Republicans have a bigger corruption problem than Democrats. Forty percent of voters, including 29 percent of Republicans, said the GOP had a bigger corruption problem. A third (32%) of voters said both parties faced the same problem, while 21% said Democrats had the bigger problem.

Independents, whose votes will be key in election races across the country, were much more likely to say Republicans have more corruption problems, with 34% saying Republicans have the biggest problem and 13% pointing to Democrats. Most independents (42%) said both parties share the problem equally.

The economy as experienced by ordinary Americans is very different from the picture painted by Wall Street. The stock market has soared thanks to relentless spending on AI. In early October, the technology-heavy S&P 500 and Nasdaq stock indices reached record highs.

The gains were a boon to a relatively small group of Americans. Americans in the richest 1% own half the stock market, while the bottom 50% own just over 1% of the market.

Armed with more funds than ever, America’s richest people generated even more election donations. After the Supreme Court’s Citizens United case in 2010 removed limits on campaign contributions, each election year brought new cash flow records. The midterm elections have already cost $11.2 billion in advertising, according to NBC News, the highest figure ever recorded for a midterm cycle.

A large portion of these donations come from the ultra-rich. Just 40 donors have already contributed $2.5 billion to races this year, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Last week, billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced he would contribute $80 million in last-minute funding to Democratic candidates, while Donald Trump said his political action committee was contributing a total of $400 million to Republicans.

For ordinary Americans, this flood of money has changed the incentives of elected officials, who many believe will end up prioritizing themselves and their donors over their constituents. A majority of voters (78%) in the Harris poll agreed that “elected officials care more about making themselves rich than helping people like me.”

“Government corruption has become the second most important issue in the midterms after the cost of living. Americans are motivated by leaders they now view as both responsible for and profiting from their growing economic woes,” said Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema.

No matter who ends up controlling Congress after the midterm elections, voters across the political spectrum are waiting for solutions to address the ongoing affordability crisis affecting their lives.

Among a series of measures aimed at tackling the cost of living, a third (32%) of voters said there should be limits on the influence of businesses and lobbyists over government decisions. The second most popular policy was removing tariffs (29%), followed by limiting companies from raising product prices (24%).

On Tuesday, California voters will vote on a ballot measure that could impose a one-time 5% wealth tax on the state’s billionaires. Tech billionaires have spent about $1 million a day, or more than $340 million in total, to fight the measure. Half (50%) of voters in the new poll, including 56% of independents, said billionaires don’t pay their fair share of taxes. Only 28% of Republicans said the same thing.

Some in the American business world are aware of the discontent. Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in an interview that he supports a national wealth tax, a comment that earned him backlash from some Republicans.

“We should have a national wealth tax — it won’t work on a state-by-state basis because people will just move,” he said. “And I think we should have close to 100% inheritance tax at some level. I would pay it.”

This survey was conducted online in the United States by The Harris Poll from October 22 to 24, 2026 among a nationally representative sample of 2,065 American adults, of whom 1,481 are likely to vote in the 2026 midterm elections.