The Corruption Election: Democrats Tie Trump's Fortune to Voters' Bills
Corruption Tops the Voter Agenda
Democrats Turn Graft Into a Pocketbook Message
An August survey of registered voters by the Democratic-aligned group Navigator Research found that the vast majority of Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike, say corruption is driving up their costs, and that majorities, including roughly a quarter of Republicans, say Trump is bringing more corruption to Washington than fixing it. A separate national survey by Blue Rose Research and the Democratic-aligned Winning Jobs Narrative Action found that messaging tying corruption to housing, health care and the cost of living increased support for Democratic congressional candidates by about 3 percentage points.
Eight in Ten Voters Link Corruption to Rising Costs
The Trump Family Fortune Becomes the Target
The White House Denies Everything
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said Trump has launched an all-out war on fraud across the federal government, holding criminals accountable and saving taxpayers billions of dollars, while Democrats in Congress have refused to do anything to stop waste, fraud and abuse. Another White House spokesperson, Anna Kelly, dismissed related lawsuits as frivolous suits recycling a tired narrative and insisted there are no conflicts of interest. The White House has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
A $275 Million Ad War Over Graft
Fighting corruption has emerged as one of the biggest issues of the midterms. More than $275 million has been spent on ads about corruption this cycle, according to AdImpact, with Democrats accounting for about $173 million and Republicans for roughly $93 million, shaping battleground races from coast to coast and extending to flashpoints such as data centers and Jeffrey Epstein. At a rally in Atlanta, Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff told the crowd that Democrats were promised lower prices on day one, yet under Trump it costs more than ever to fill a truck, stock a fridge, see a doctor or power a home. Democrats have vowed to investigate Trump and administration officials, including the Trump family's finances, if they retake Congress in January.
