Affordability Is the Key to a Democratic Win in 2026
In 2025, Democrats found the key to a winning strategy in the 2026 mid-terms: affordability. In recent elections of Zohran Mamdani in New York, Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikki Sherril in New Jersey the economy brought voters to the polls. Rising prices of electricity persuaded both Republicans and Democrats in Georgia to elect Democrats to the Georgia Utility Commission for the first time since 2007. In North Carolina, Democrats dominated the state’s municipal elections.
Rising unemployment and inflation have given Democrats a good chance to win the House of Representatives in 2026 by carrying a possible 223 seats. President Trump’s ratings register his lowest scores on his handling of the economy. Every demographic group–men, women, whites, blacks, Latinos, young and old–indicate negative approval ratings on the economy.
Americans voted for Trump because he promised to reduce prices. Instead, he has created chaos in the trade markets by instituting tariffs and then reversing course, hurting small businesses that depend on imports from other countries and farmers who rely on foreign nations to buy their crops. Economists say that tariffs are inflationary and that has proved to be true as the most recent data shows inflation rising to 2.7%, above the Federal Reserve target of 2%.
After the November elections, Trump rolled back some tariffs on selected imported food, but the savings to the consumer, an average of $35, paled when compared to the total, $1700, of tariff price increases for the average American. And vendors can’t be sure that Trump’s rollbacks will hold, so grocery store prices remain stubbornly inflated.
Trump’s immigration crackdown is also affecting the economy. There are already labor shortages in agriculture, construction, and the service sectors. As more laborers are forced to leave the country, the shortage will only grow, driving up wages. And as wages increase, employers will pass on those costs to consumers. North Carolina needs agriculture to thrive. It depends on foreign labor with H2 visas to plant and harvest its three major crops: sweet potatoes, tobacco, and Christmas trees.
Many states, including North Carolina, depend on foreign workers to construct new homes and renovate older ones, but Trump’s immigration policies have only exacerbated the problem. With increasing labor shortages come soaring prices. And as the cost of a home increases, more and more people are frozen out of the market. The median age of first-time buyers in the US is now 40 years old, an all-time high. For many, home ownership in their lifetime seems more illusory than possible. Not only has the prices of homes skyrocketed, but so have the rent demanded by landlords, particularly those who come into an area and buy up several rental properties charging monthly increases that far exceed the rate of inflation.
Added to the scarcity of affordable housing is the new assault on affordable healthcare. Healthcare affordability was at the heart of the longest government shutdown in history in the Fall of 2025. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut $1 trillion in social services for the poorest Americans. If the Affordable Care Act subsidies are not continued, many families will lose their insurance coverage. People still need healthcare even if they don’t have insurance, and many times the only place they can receive it is at the most expensive healthcare facility, the emergency room. If hospitals have increased debt, they will have to increase prices, and all our insurance premiums will go up. If rural clinics can’t count on a sustainable level of Medicaid funding, they will be forced to close.
Affordability is measured not only in the cost of housing and medical insurance but also in the escalation of utility costs. Duke Energy has received approval for cumulative price increases of 20% from 2022 through 2026. They are requesting an additional 15% increase for the next two years. Upgrading the electrical grid and the growth of the data centers needed for Artificial Intelligence are cited as the primary reasons for the price increase.
The cost of electricity is also increasing because Trump has dealt renewable energy (wind and solar) a devastating blow by eliminating the incentives created during the Biden administration. This year, North Carolina consumers will pay an extra $200 because of the repeal of Biden’s energy tax credit. Wind and solar energy produce cheaper energy than coal and oil, and they are kinder to our environment. Makes good sense to invest in them right? Not if you care nothing about the destruction you leave in your wake.
At a time when 44% of American families don’t earn enough to pay for housing, food, health care, child care, utilities and transportation, all Americans must advocate for policy changes that bring American families relief: defending the Federal Reserve’s independence to manage inflation, promoting clean energy, allowing foreign workers with H2 visas to enter the US without hindrance, reducing tariffs, and continuing subsidies for the purchase of health insurance.
American families need our help, and we need to clearly tell them that Democrats will fight for them to be able to afford the American Dream.
