With the midterms approaching, Republicans are zeroing in on a targeted strategy to win back swing voters and Trump voters who don’t typically turn out in off-year elections. Those voters will be critical to maintaining a Republican majority in the Senate next year.
That message centers on the economy and cost of living, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) says new polling, exclusively provided to Townhall, shows a clear path to rebuilding a winning coalition after President Trump's 2024 win.
That polling shows the cost of living is the overwhelming issue driving the midterms, with 92 percent of swing voters and 85 percent of infrequent Trump voters concerned about it. Of the cost-of-living issues, three major areas stand out: prescription drug prices, housing costs, and Social Security taxes.
Majorities in both groups say they are more likely to support candidates who "crack down" on Big Pharma to stop skyrocketing drug costs, prohibit investment firms and large corporations from purchasing residential housing and driving up costs, and eliminate taxes on Social Security.
The economic impact of illegal immigration is also a motivating issue, with a majority of voters in both groups saying that Americans shouldn't be footing the bill for free housing, medical care, and education for illegal immigrants.
Voters also favor candidates who promote skilled trades — plumbers, HVAC techs, carpenters, and electricians — and protect American jobs from being replaced by artificial intelligence (AI) or stolen by the Chinese. Voters supported returning trade education to our schools and said that an increase in skilled trades would also help lower housing costs.
Republicans are also using Tax Day to highlight their "Working Families Tax Cut" proposal, with polling showing strong responses to messaging that emphasizes that voters have an extra $250 per month (or $3,000 a year) in take-home pay. With the cost of living at the forefront of the midterms, the monthly framing resonates with those voters focused on everyday expenses like rent, groceries, utilities, and medications.
That messaging push is also being echoed by Senate Republicans on Tax Day, including Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who argued the legislation is already putting more money back in Americans’ pockets.
Senator @ChuckGrassley: Working Families Tax Cuts Law Puts Money Back in People’s Pockets https://t.co/8w0VKLqhj3
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 14, 2026
In his op-ed for the Iowa Field Report, Senator Grassley wrote:
The good news is that the Republican-led Working Families Tax Cuts law is delivering a much-needed boost to local manufacturers and businesses. The tax law locks in a 20% tax deduction for small business owners and doubles the small business expensing limit. This allows companies to write off the full cost of new equipment and technology in the first year. That means more money available to invest in the local workforce – from child care to higher wages and employee training – and improved cash flow helps fuel product development and business expansion.
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The Republican Congress passed the Working Families Tax Cuts law to put more hard-earned money where it belongs: in people’s pockets. Iowans are better stewards of their own money to save, invest and spend on their families, farms and businesses. Now, Iowans have more money in their pockets thanks to Republicans. Make no mistake: Democrats have an insatiable appetite for federal spending and raising your taxes, which is why every single Democrat voted against this historic law. Iowans can’t afford to forget that on Election Day.
Polling shows that the midterms will come down to something simpler than campaign slogans and social issues: whether voters believe they'll actually see more money in their wallets every month. In an election cycle where cost-of-living concerns dominate voters' minds, abstract promises are taking a backseat to concrete, tangible relief.
That's where the NRSC says Republicans can, and should, focus their message heading into November. By framing Republicans' economic policies in terms voters can relate to, like an extra $250 a month, the clarity and credibility on kitchen-table economic issues will matter more to infrequent and swing voters when they head to the polls.