With the Nov. 3 midterm elections less than a week away, the article says affordability, including housing, groceries and gas, is emerging as a key issue for voters, with 66% of U.S. adults very concerned about housing costs, according to Pew. The median existing-home price was $417,500 in September, up 1.3% from a year earlier and nearly 54% above September 2019, while in 2024 22.7 million renter households (49%) spent more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. The bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law without President Trump's signature, and an MIT analysis cited in the article expects only modest short-run effects. Tax changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act remain a recurring campaign topic, with the average tax refund at $3,276 as of May 8, up from $2,939 in 2025, yet fewer than 10% of Americans rank taxes as the single most important election issue.
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