By Jason Lange and Nathan Layne
WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The Democratic Party has gained a significant edge over Republicans in voter perceptions on which party has a better approach to the cost of living, a troubling sign for President Donald Trump's party heading into the midterm elections, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The four-day poll, completed on Monday, asked 951 registered voters which party had a better plan or approach for handling the cost of living. Thirty-six percent picked Democrats
and 28% picked Republicans. The rest weren't sure or said neither party was good on the matter.
The 8-point gap was the biggest Democratic advantage since Reuters/Ipsos began asking the question in October 2025. Democrats started having tiny advantages on the subject after Trump launched a war on Iran in February that has pushed gasoline prices near record highs.
"I don't think it's great for Republicans," said Republican political consultant Jeanette Hoffman. But Hoffman said Democrats don't come out looking that much better considering that a significant slice of the survey - 37% - said they weren't sure which party was better or that neither was.
"I would rather be eight points ahead on the issue versus eight points down. But I don't think Democrats should be feeling great about it either," said Hoffman.
CONGRESS UP FOR GRABS
Voters all year have signaled the cost of living will be the most important factor for how they vote in November, when the entire U.S. House of Representatives and 35 U.S. Senate seats will be up for grabs.
Several Democratic candidates are making affordability a central issue on the campaign trail. James Talarico, a Texas Democrat running for a U.S. Senate seat, has appeared in television ads carrying bags of groceries as evidence Texans are "drowning" in higher prices. The message could help Talarico's chances, and his race is widely seen as leaning Republican or a toss-up in a deep red state that normally would a safe bet for Republicans.
But Republicans nationwide still have advantages on other issues like immigration and crime.
Hoffman said Republican candidates in the midterms need to highlight to voters that their party has addressed affordability by delivering tax cuts, while warning that the Democratic Party is growing more extreme as democratic socialists gain influence.
Democrats have called for raising the federal minimum wage, and those aligned with democratic socialists propose making the federal Medicare health insurance program available for all Americans instead of just the elderly and disabled.
For Republicans, losing control of either chamber could complicate Trump's agenda in the last two years of his term. While fighting in the Iran war has cooled, Tehran maintains a de facto blockade on oil shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, keeping global oil prices high and punishing U.S. household finances. Trump said last week no peace talks were scheduled.
GAS, FOOD WORRIES
Christopher Nicholas, a Republican strategist in Pennsylvania, said Trump has not done enough to address voters' concerns about the cost of living, leaving Republicans exposed on an issue that could shape the midterms, and which also weighed on former Democratic President Joe Biden.
"This is an easy layup for the party out of power, which are the Democrats," Nicholas said.
"Keeping prescription drug prices lower is a good start, but that seems to be getting lost within the overall healthcare area, in which prices seem to be galloping ahead of inflation every year," Nicholas said. "Voters feel gas and food prices, which are intertwined, every week when they go to the grocery store and gas station."
The president's own approval ratings are at the lowest levels of either this presidential term or his last. Currently only half of Republicans approve of his handling of the cost of living, far fewer than the eight in 10 who give his presidency a thumbs up overall.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this month showed voters were picking Democrats over Republicans as better stewards of the economy for the first time in about a decade. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Democrats with a 2-point edge on the economy.
The latest survey gathered responses nationwide from 1,215 U.S. adults, including 951 registered voters. The poll, which was conducted online, had a margin of error of three percentage points.
(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington and Nathan Layne in Connecticut; editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington)
