In the 2024 election cycle, Republicans used affordability to hammer Democrats. It didn’t matter what the Harris campaign or the Biden administration said about the economy; people voted with their wallets. Meanwhile, Democrats focused on issues like abortion rights and the future of democracy.
Things have changed in two years.
Heading into the 2026 midterms, Democratic campaigns across the country are pointing to high prices at the grocery store and the gas station. Republicans, while trying not to ignore the affordability issue, have shifted their focus to crime and cultural issues like transgender rights.
That includes the Senate races in North and South Carolina, where the Democratic candidates are constantly talking about the economy. Meanwhile, their Republican opponents are taking a different approach.
We discuss these strategies, compare them to other campaigns across the country and look at the state of democracy in 2026.
GUESTS:
Scott Huffmon, director of the Center for Public Opinion & Policy Research and professor of political science at Winthrop University
Reuben Jones, Spectrum News Washington reporter covering North Carolina and national politics
Susan Roberts, political science professor at Davidson College
