Inflation, Corruption Rank as Top Midterm Concerns

The Center Square's Brett Rowland breaks down new Voters Voice poll data showing inflation as voters' top midterm concern for a third consecutive poll, with government corruption and housing costs close behind. Rowland explains that inflation concerns have climbed from 16 percent to about 20 percent of voters citing it as their top issue since the poll began, backed by Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing prices up 3.4 percent for the year and gas prices up roughly 25 percent. He notes government corruption ranks as the third-highest concern, pointing to a 2024 Government Accountability Office estimate that fraud costs the federal government between $230 billion and $500 billion a year — a figure the Treasury Department has not updated despite the report's recommendation. Rowland says the poll's findings track closely with other national surveys, and that a White House spokesperson pointed to cooling inflation and housing progress without directly disputing the poll's results.