WASHINGTON (AP) — Whatever the outcome of the elections of November 3a new AP-NORC poll shows voters in both major political parties want the next Congress to focus on making life more affordable and ending life. the war in Iranwhile fewer people seek to emphasize President Donald Trump – whether investigating him or supporting his agenda.
The results suggest voters are ready for Congress to tackle core issues, despite The centrality of Trump during the midterm campaign.
About 8 in 10 registered voters, including a large majority of Republicans and Democrats, say lowering the cost of living should be one of the top priorities in the coming session, according to a survey by Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center find.
Justin Campbell, a 31-year-old Democrat from Brookhaven, Mississippi, said he wants the government to focus on helping people like him rather than the wealthy.
“I’m not a millionaire and I probably never will be,” he said. “I prefer a policy that helps me rather than someone I will never be.”
Most voters also want Congress to prioritize ending the war with Iran, with about seven in 10 voters saying it should be a priority. Significantly fewer voters, about 4 in 10, want Congress to make investigating the Trump administration a high priority, and only about 2 in 10 want Congress to prioritize supporting the Trump administration. the republican president’s agenda.
But the poll also indicates that there are deep divisions within parties on what to focus on, with Democrats and moderate Republicans differing sharply from voters on the left and right of their parties.
Most Democratic voters who identify as supporters of democratic socialism are hoping for a Congress that will investigate the administration, and many want to end it military aid to Israelwhile MAGA Republicans want Congress to support Trump’s agenda.
Moderates in both parties are much more likely to want Democrats and Republicans to find common ground.
Most voters want Congress to focus on cutting costs and ending the war.
Lowering the cost of living and ending the war in Iran are overshadowing a wide range of other issues as voters consider the priorities of the next Congress.
While most registered voters say cutting costs and ending the war should be among Congress’ top priorities, only about half say reducing the budget deficit and finding common ground between the two parties should be major priorities. About 4 in 10 want to investigate the administration and pass new laws regulating artificial intelligence be high priorities.
Fewer, about 3 in 10, prioritize ending military aid to Israel, and only about 2 in 10 want the focus to be on supporting Trump’s agenda.
The sun rises behind the Capitol Dome in Washington on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, two weeks before the midterm elections that will determine political control of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Although most registered Democrats want Congress to investigate the administration, that falls short of broader priorities of cutting costs and ending the conflict with Iran. About 6 in 10 registered voters who identify as Democrats consider investigations into the administration “one of the highest priorities.”
Arthur Brown, a 71-year-old Democrat from Magee, Mississippi, wants to see the next Congress work to strengthen the economy and lower prices. He feels less pressure to hold Trump accountable, mainly because there are only two years left in Trump’s term. He thinks it’s more important to try to turn the economy around.
“They should just focus on solving these problems,” he said. “Eventually, justice will come. »
For Republican voters, supporting Trump’s goals is not as effective as lowering the cost of living, ending the war in Iran and reducing the budget deficit.
In a surprisingly lukewarm show of support for the president, only about 4 in 10 Republican voters say the next Congress should make supporting the administration’s agenda one of its highest priorities.
Most Democratic Socialists Want Congress to Investigate Trump
House Democrats have started planning an ambitious 100-day program for what they would do if they took control of Congress in November. Democratic Leader in the House Hakeem Jeffries of New York said the party’s top priorities were making life more affordable and conducting broad oversight of the administration.
But there are potential schisms within the party that await Democrats if they win a governing majority. The Democratic Party has counted in primary campaigns with a growing wing democratic socialists. Their progressive positions on some issues have divided the party — including whether to continue military aid to Israel, whether to compromise with Republicans, and to what extent to investigate the administration.
A sticker placed by an unidentified person depicting President Donald Trump reading “I Did This!” is posted next to gasoline and diesel prices at a gas station in Newtown, Pennsylvania, September 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file)
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About three-quarters of Democratic voters who identify as supporters of democratic socialism say a top priority should be investigating the administration, compared to just under half of Democrats who say they are not democratic socialists.
Democratic socialists are also more likely to want Congress to end military aid to Israel and less likely to say finding common ground between the two parties is a top priority.
Campbell, the Mississippi Democrat, identifies as a democratic socialist and wants Congress to hold the administration accountable.
“It seems a little cliché to just say look back at the last two years, but honestly, it’s mostly just look back at what he’s done over the last two years,” Campbell said.
Most MAGA Republicans want Congress to support Trump
Republicans are largely aligned on what they want the next Congress to do, whether or not they identify with the “Make America Great Again” movement — except when it comes to Trump.
At least half of MAGA and non-MAGA Republicans want leaders to cut costs, end the war in Iran and reduce the federal budget deficit.
Richard Longo, a 74-year-old Republican from Lake Forest, Calif., wants the president’s agenda to continue in the next Congress, but is particularly concerned about balancing the budget.
“You’re not going to balance the budget in one year, but you have to have a plan,” Longo said.
But while about 6 in 10 MAGA Republicans want Congress to prioritize supporting the administration’s agenda, only about 2 in 10 Republicans who are not MAGA supporters say the same.
Lisa Ostlund, a 46-year-old from Wayland, Massachusetts, who identifies as a MAGA supporter, wants the next Congress to prioritize Trump’s agenda. She doesn’t support everything Trump does, but she credits his policies for her recent ability to find housing after struggling with homelessness for several years.
“You have to care about your American people,” Ostlund said. “He’s definitely not saying it right, but you have to put them first.”
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The AP-NORC poll of 1,119 adults was conducted Oct. 8-12 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all adults is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
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