In the first major election cycle since President Donald Trump retook office, Democratic candidates who put affordability at the heart of their campaigns won big Tuesday.
A new NBC News exit poll found the economy and cost of living were the issues voters across the country said were among their top priorities.
In New York City, Zohran Mamdani’s campaign leaned heavily into policies related to affordability, including increasing the amount of affordable housing and implementing free buses and child care. It was a winning strategy, with historic levels of voter turnout lifting him to victory.
Among voters surveyed, 56% said cost of living was the most important issue, and 72% of voters in the city — one of the most expensive places to live in the country — said housing costs are a major problem. More broadly, 65% said the city’s overall economy was not so good or even poor.
In New Jersey, taxes were top of mind for voters, as the Garden State has the country’s highest property taxes and the third-highest income taxes (ranging between 1.4% and 10.75%, depending on income level and filing status).
A majority of voters surveyed in New Jersey said property taxes, along with electricity costs, were “major” problems. Overall, 60% said the state’s economy is “not so good” or “poor,” while only 38% said it was “good” or “excellent.”
Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill won the race for governor against her opponent, Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli. Both campaigned on affordability, with significantly different approaches.
Virginia elected its first female governor Tuesday, Democrat Abigail Spanberger. As the state with the second-highest number of federal workers, Virginia is feeling the effects of the government shutdown more strongly than many others.
Six in 10 Virginia voters surveyed said cuts to the federal government this year have affected their family’s finances. Of those voters, 20% said it affected their family “a lot” and 39% said it affected them “a little.”
And in California, which tops Virginia as the state with the most federal workers, only 36% of voters surveyed approve of Trump, as they turned out to approve Democrats’ ballot proposition on redistricting. The poll also found the economy remains voters’ main concern.
Methodology:
The NBC News Exit Poll is conducted by SSRS, an independent research company, on behalf of ABC, The Associated Press, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC. The networks together prepare the questionnaire. More information about SSRS can be obtained by visiting www.ssrs.com.
The poll, conducted Oct. 22–Nov. 4, includes representative samples of registered voters in California (n=~4,000), New Jersey (n=~4,000), New York City (n=~3,700) and Virginia (n=~4,000). The Voter Poll combines data collected from verified registered voters online and by telephone with data collected in person from Election Day voters at 30 precincts per state/city, excluding California. Respondents can complete the poll in English or Spanish. The overall margin of sampling error for voters, accounting for design effects, is expected to be approximately plus or minus 2 percentage points in California, 2.1 percentage points in New Jersey, 2.2 percentage points in New York City and 2.1 percentage points in Virginia.
