Decoding Campaign Rhetoric: How 2026 Candidates Plan to Tackle the Cost of Living

Affordability has emerged as a defining theme of the 2026 election cycle. According to a recent poll by the health policy nonprofit KFF, 62% of voters identify the cost of living as the top issue they want candidates to address. Key concerns include healthcare, gasoline, and other transportation expenses.

Candidates are responding to this widespread frustration by framing the high cost of living as a central campaign issue, bundling various policy proposals under catchy slogans. Below is a look at the messaging voters may encounter and the policy substance behind each one.

‘Make stuff cost less’

Who says it: Roy Cooper, former governor and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina.

Why he thinks costs are too high: Cooper argues that families are being squeezed by high prices for groceries, housing, health care, child care, and utilities. He says tariffs are driving up costs, while corporations and special interests hold too much sway over the economy.

What he’s promising to do: Cooper pledges to lower household costs by blocking anti-competitive mergers and banning algorithmic pricing; restore coverage lost to ACA and Medicaid cuts and reduce drug costs through Medicare negotiation and out-of-pocket caps; require data centers to pay their full power costs and ban utility shutoffs during extreme weather; expand the child care tax credit and grow the child care workforce; and build more homes while barring corporate and foreign buyers from single-family homes and ending tariffs that inflate building costs.

‘Affordability agenda’

Who says it: Deb Haaland, Democratic candidate for governor of New Mexico.

Why she thinks costs are too high: Haaland argues that New Mexicans are struggling to afford everyday necessities while wages have not kept pace with those expenses. She says corporations and big companies have driven up costs while posting record profits. She also blames the Trump administration for raising the cost of living through tariffs.

What she’s promising to do: Cut grocery costs by supporting local grocers and growers and waiving permit fees for stores in food deserts; lower housing costs by speeding up approvals and banning AI-driven rent fixing, and cut utility bills by expanding renewable energy; raise pay and put money back in families’ pockets by raising the minimum wage with annual inflation adjustments and expanding the Child Tax Credit.

‘Cut taxes, cut utility bills’

Who says it: Bruce Blakeman, Republican candidate for governor of New York.

Why he thinks costs are too high: Blakeman blames high taxes and state energy policies for making New York too expensive. He also argues that the state’s green energy policies and utility rate hikes have driven up electricity bills.

What he’s promising to do: Lower taxes and cut utility bills “in half,” though he does not specify how the latter would be achieved. He also proposes expanding domestic energy production, including lifting New York’s ban on fracking.

‘Gas, grits and groceries’

Who says it: Annie Andrews, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in South Carolina.

Why she thinks costs are too high: Andrews argues that South Carolina families are facing rising costs for basic necessities, particularly food, energy, housing, and child care. She says corrupt politicians and big corporations keep raising everyday costs, and she blames tariffs for raising grocery prices.

What she’s promising to do: Suspend the federal gas and diesel taxes for immediate relief at the pump; cut energy and grocery bills; expand housing access; give local communities the power to push back on data center development; expand the child care workforce through a federal apprenticeship program and add federal support to raise wages for child care workers.

‘Unrig the economy’

Who says it: James Talarico, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas.

Why he thinks costs are too high: Talarico frames high costs as part of a broader “corruption crisis.” He says billionaires have had too much political influence and the economy works in their favor.

What he’s promising to do: Raise the minimum wage; expand overtime pay; cancel medical debt; pass universal child care, paid family leave, and an expanded child tax credit; repeal tax breaks for the top 1% and redirect the money into a “cost-of-living tax cut”; offer downpayment assistance to first-time homebuyers; cut regulations to streamline new home construction. He is also pursuing an anti-corruption package. To address rising energy costs, Talarico says he would repeal tax breaks for data centers and require facilities to pay for their own power infrastructure. He would also support suspending the federal gas tax.

‘Protecting the Texas Promise’

Who says it: Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas.

Why he thinks costs are too high: Paxton has blamed corporate price-gouging and government spending for driving up costs.

What he’s promising to do: Create federal tax deductions for out-of-pocket medical expenses and first-time homebuyers, including a $50,000 deduction for home purchases. Double the child tax credit, offer a $5,000 deduction for healthy-lifestyle expenses such as gym memberships, and make Trump Accounts for children permanent. Paxton says his tax cuts would let families keep more of their money and help stimulate the economy. He also supports requiring data centers to fund their own power infrastructure and exempting certain off-grid power systems from most federal electricity regulations.

‘Lower costs. raise stability. Put families first.’

Who says it: Xavier Becerra, a former California attorney general and U.S. health and human services secretary who is running as the Democratic candidate for governor of California.

Why he thinks costs are too high: Becerra argues that families face high costs for housing, health care, gas, and groceries, while corporations take advantage of weak competition and price-gouging. He has said the cost-of-living crisis threatens the “California Dream.”

What he’s promising to do: Freeze utility rates and home insurance premiums; crack down on price gouging; expand child care support; cut permitting delays to speed up construction by declaring a housing state of emergency. He has also pitched himself as the “health care governor” and is promising to cover all Californians.

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