Key voters in North Carolina are pessimistic that the blue wave flipping control of Congress next year will solve their economic woes, NPR reported.
NPR observed two online focus groups on Tuesday night with 14 voters in North Carolina who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and then President Trump in 2024. Twelve said they have pretty low expectations for what Democrats can achieve with Trump still in the White House. "I think realistically, it just means nothing's going to happen for the next two years," said 32-year-old self-described independent voter Steven, who, like all participants, took part on the condition that his last name would not be used. "President Trump would veto anything that comes to his desk, and the House and Senate majorities are not veto proof either, so literally nothing will happen for the next two years," he added.
The groups were part of the Swing Voter Project, held by messaging firm Engagious and market research recruiting firm Nelson Recruiting. Ten people identified as independents, three as Republicans, and one as a Democrat. Almost all said they disapprove overall of the job Trump is doing, and many said Democrats' big wins were a sign that voters "want change." Yet they were largely pessimistic that Congress would be able to effect change once Democrats have control of both the House and Senate in January, NPR reported.
Focus groups are not scientifically significant like polls. They provide a snapshot of what a small group of voters is thinking.
They want lower prices, not a new investigation
Rich Thau, president of Engagious, who moderated the groups, told NPR that these voters chiefly expect Trump to be a major obstacle. "And the Democrats themselves," he added, "think that they're going to be sort of all over the place, that they're going to maybe focus too much on investigations. … But in terms of actually helping them do the one thing that they desperately want, which is to bring their prices down and make their lives more affordable, they are definitely dubious."
In this year's midterms, the Voter Poll, conducted by SSRS, found that more than half of voters said government corruption was "crucial" to their vote for Congress, a bit higher than the share who said cost of living was "crucial." But this small group of swing voters in a battleground state does not want accountability for the Trump administration to eclipse the economy. They want Democrats to get rid of tariffs, lower the cost of everyday goods, and stop the war in Iran, which they blame for rising gas prices, NPR reported.
"I'm really concerned they're going to pursue those investigations and such," said Rick, a 63-year-old Republican. "And whether they're true or not, it doesn't really matter because there are people in the middle that are being forgotten and can't afford gas and healthcare." Deborah, a 56-year-old independent, said she watched Democrats try to hold Trump accountable for years. "They haven't found anything on Trump yet, so just let it go and move on," she said.
The midterms delivered a Democratic Congress. These voters, at least in this snapshot, are already bracing for a stalemate, and they will judge the next two years on prices, not on hearings.