Affordability top of mind for voters in final sprint to midterms: ‘I have to pick between medicine or groceries’
Summary
Affordability, including the cost of health insurance, groceries, gas and rent, is a major concern for voters ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. Workers in Ohio and Minnesota described pay that they say has not kept pace with rising costs, while labor leaders said campaigns are increasingly focused on these issues.Key Facts
- Gina Jones and her co-workers at Lorain County Job and Family Services in Ohio have been on strike since February 2026.
- Jones said family health coverage that once cost $35 a month is set to cost $600 a month in January for the same coverage.
- Lorain County workers are seeking a $1-an-hour increase to their base pay; county management blamed the union for ending negotiations.
- Ohio voted for Donald Trump by more than five percentage points in 2024, and the article said Democrat Sherrod Brown had a slight polling lead over Republican incumbent Jon Husted in the Senate race.
- Minnesota paraprofessional Bob Mattila supports proposed state legislation to raise pay for him and his co-workers to $25 an hour and lower health insurance costs.
- AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler said campaigns are addressing the costs of gas, groceries, rent and health care, as well as wages that have not kept pace with rising prices.
- The AFL-CIO has been seeking to turn out 16 million voters from union families in the election.
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