Midterm Voters Divided on Key Issues

When millions of Americans cast their ballots in the 2022 midterms on Tuesday (or earlier), inflation and abortion were the issues on top of many people’s minds. According to preliminary results from national exit polls conducted by Edison Research on behalf of the National Election Pool, almost 6 in 10 voters said that either of the two issues mattered most to them in deciding how to vote this year.

Unsurprisingly, both issues split the electorate, as those who mostly voted on inflation overwhelmingly voted for Republican candidates while those to whom abortion mattered the most predominantly voted for Democratic candidates in the House election. While those voting mostly on crime and gun policy were slightly more balanced in their decision, immigration produced equally lopsided results, with 73 percent of those who considered it the most pressing issue voting Republican.