Highlights of the US Midterm Election Campaign Issues

Living Conditions

Living conditions naturally top the issues addressed in the election campaign, as they feature in the statements of all candidates, whether from the Democratic or Republican parties.

Donald Trump focused heavily in his 2024 presidential campaign on the significant rise in inflation, blaming his rival, President Joe Biden, for this reality.

However, nearly two years after his return to the White House, the Republican billionaire has not succeeded in curbing rising prices, whether in housing, food, or energy.

Worse still, the situation has been exacerbated by his trade war, which involves imposing or raising tariffs on goods imported from the rest of the world, including US allies.

According to a poll conducted by Ipsos and Reuters, the results of which were published at the end of last August, nearly half of American voters believe that the cost of living is the issue candidates should prioritize.

Lack of Support for the Iran War

Americans have not shown any real support at any time for the war launched by President Trump and Israel against Iran.

In the early days of the war, its supporters reached about 40 percent of Americans, while 49 percent opposed it, according to an average of poll results compiled by expert Nate Silver.

Today, only 33 percent support it, while about 57 percent declare their opposition to it.

This decline in the war's popularity is attributed to soaring fuel prices resulting from a combination of factors, including Iran's practical closure of the Strait of Hormuz. An Emerson College poll conducted last September noted that this war is at the forefront of issues upon which American voters' ballots depend.

Division Over Immigration

The deportation of undocumented immigrants was a main pillar of Trump's campaign before the 2024 elections, but this process has been bogged down by complications due to criticism of the methods used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during its raids and accusations of abuses leveled against it.

The killing of two Americans in Minneapolis in January by federal agents amid protests against the presence of ICE caused a massive uproar in the United States.

Although the Republican president succeeded in his gamble to halt the flow of immigrants across the border with Mexico, the issue divides public opinion; a Fox News poll published in September showed that 43 percent of surveyed Americans support Trump's handling of the immigration file, while 56 percent oppose it.

Similarly, a recent poll by the Marist Institute showed that voters now trust Democrats more than Republicans on this issue, representing a drastic change from the situation in 2024.

Focus on Ethics

Midterm elections are usually a referendum on the US president in the middle of his term, which applies to Trump this year.

It is customary for presidents to distance themselves somewhat from the campaign leading up to these elections, but Trump broke this rule, asking his supporters to act on November 3rd as if his name were on the ballot.

However, Trump's popularity has reached historic lows, and many are demanding greater checks and balances on his presidency.

A Pew Research Center poll indicated that governance ethics issues are now among the top concerns for voters.

Democrats have vowed that if they win the majority in Congress, they will launch multiple parliamentary investigations into Trump and his associates accused of exploiting the White House for personal enrichment.

Concern Over Artificial Intelligence

This year, artificial intelligence is entering the electoral arena for the first time, with about half of the Americans polled by the Pew Research Center saying they feel deeply concerned about the role of artificial intelligence in the economy.

They also harbor intense concern over the frantic pace of building the data centers required to develop this technology, as these infrastructures consume vast amounts of energy, leading to higher electricity bills paid by nearby residents.