Is there overwhelming and substantial evidence of economic frustration and distrust of government going into the November 3, 2026 midterms?
The evidence is more nuanced than saying Americans are uniformly “mad as hell,” and it does not allow us to predict exactly how that anger will translate into votes.
A pocketbook problem
Cost of living is currently one of the dominant concerns. A July Pew survey found that 66 percent of Americans were very concerned about food and consumer-goods prices, 64% about housing, 69 percent about health-care costs, and 56% about gasoline. Economic issues were also the subject voters most wanted congressional candidates to discuss. Pew Research Center+1
More recently, an AP-NORC survey conducted September 24–28 found that 65 percent of Americans attributed unusually high prices to President Trump's policies, while 69 percent said his handling of the cost of living had been worse than expected. Importantly, Republicans were much more likely to attribute high prices to factors outside Trump's control, illustrating that economic frustration doesn't translate into a single partisan interpretation. AP-NOR
There is also evidence of a broader “government isn't listening” sentiment. A Chicago Council survey found that 37% identified inflation/cost of living as the most important factor in their midterm vote, followed by government corruption and control of Congress at 19 percent each. Chicago Council on Global Affairs And AP-NORC reports that trust in federal-government information about inflation and cost of living fell from 26 percent in 2024 to just 18 percent in 2026. AP-NORC
Will voters deliver a “mad as hell” verdict?
There is already a measurable electoral expression of dissatisfaction, but it would be wrong to conclude that we know the result.
As of October 1, Silver Bulletin's national generic congressional-ballot average had Democrats ahead of Republicans by about 9 points. An Emerson national poll likewise found Democrats ahead 53%-42 percent . Nate Silver+1.
Those are measures of current voting preferences, not forecasts of what will happen on Election Day.
And there's an important distinction in your question: people can be angry without agreeing about whom to blame. Some voters attribute inflation to presidential policies; others point to international events, corporations, supply constraints, previous administrations, or other factors. The AP-NORC findings demonstrate that partisan differences over that attribution remain considerable. AP-NORC
So we would characterize the situation this way:
-
Yes: Americans are demonstrably worried about prices and household finances.
-
Yes: Those concerns are showing up in current midterm polling.
-
Yes: There is significant dissatisfaction with how government is handling the economy and declining information trust.
-
No: We can't yet translate that into “Americans will throw the bums out”, or predict the November result.
While fat cats getting richer its difficult to establish it as a single causal explanation for voting predictions. Americans clearly express concern about affordability and inequality, but those are not necessarily the same thing in polling and if they will vote in protest.
The yet unanswered question is whether the economic dissatisfaction is unusually powerful compared with other midterm elections, or whether voters are unhappy with the economy and government to say so?
Written 50 years ago, it's message remains more relevant than ever in the rising world of social media. This film is one of the best Hollywood classics.
If you agree with the “mad as hell” analogy, then on November 3, at 3P go outdoors, and say I wont take this anymore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EfuzJShes0