welcome to From the political deska daily newsletter bringing you the latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail from the NBC News politics team.
In today’s edition, we talk to voters who are still undecided in key races in their states in the final stretch of the campaign. Plus, Jonathan Allen delves into President Donald Trump’s shocking admissions.
—Adam Warner
How undecided voters are weighing their 2026 election options
Authors: Bridget Bowman, Sarah Sternhagen and Halle Jackson
James Morton Not sure which party he will support in November’s election, and he doesn’t like his choice.
Morton, a 67-year-old retired truck driver from Colorado, said Democrats are “too far left on socialism” and Republicans are “globalists” who “don’t care about the working class of this country.”
Morton, an independent who voted for president Donald Trump In 2024, the preference is to support third-party candidates in this year’s House and Senate races. But he said his decision would depend on the high cost of living.
“The first priority is to reduce costs and control inflation, that’s it,” Morton said. He noted that he and his wife have been shopping for different groceries when faced with high prices.
Morton was among 5% of voters in an NBC News poll last month who said they were unsure which party they wanted to see control Congress after this year’s elections. NBC News spoke with 16 undecided voters who are weighing their ballots this fall.
These voters have little loyalty to either party — in part, many of them say, because they are unsure whether either party understands what is important to them. Nearly everyone said high cost was a top concern.
In the NBC News poll, 50% of voters said they want Democrats to win control of Congress in the midterm elections, while 45% said they want Republicans to gain control. How undecided voters resolve their strong and sometimes conflicting emotions could ultimately determine what Congress will look like in 2027, from who controls the majority to how many seats the party holds.
Voter concerns about the balance of payments have been prominent in recent polls. In the latest NBC News poll, voters ranked the cost of living and inflation as the most important issues facing the country, followed by government corruption and threats to democracy.
“I don’t like things that are too expensive, and I don’t think anyone likes them either,” said Aidan ValenzuelaA 19-year-old security guard in Texas says he hasn’t decided who to support in the state’s tight gubernatorial and Senate races.
Read more →
Trump’s economic disconnect
Analysis by Jonathan Allen
President Donald Trump said yesterday that he had done a “terrible job” of explaining to the American people why he thought the economy was doing well.
In a rare admission that he has failed at everything, Trump calls himself the greatest president in American history.
But there’s a disconnect between Trump’s views on the economy and the mood of most Americans. It’s a view he and his advisers have been talking about since he returned to the Oval Office last year.
National voter interviews and polls show Americans generally disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy. Specifically, they are unhappy with his inability to curb inflation. Trump’s tariff agenda and war with Iran have put upward pressure on prices for everything from natural gas to groceries.
The disconnect could further erode Trump’s credibility among voters who are feeling the pinch of rising prices and interest rates but hear him describe the economy as strong.
With the midterm elections less than a month away, it would be a political disservice for the president to tell voters that he failed on substance, even if he believed it. His challenge is to tell voters that he hears what they say about the economy and that it’s better than they thought — without blaming them.
At one point, Trump took aim at White House aides for not doing a good enough job selling his records. But his press secretary has left, and there are no plans to replace her.
Trump is, as always, his own chief information producer. Whether it is his performance or his policies that fail will be decided by the voters.
🗞️ Today’s other top stories
- 🍷Exclusive: Congressional staff had planned a lavish official trip to Italy and France two weeks before the election. The event was canceled after NBC News inquired about the schedule. Read more →
- 🩺 Strange bedfellows: Michigan Democratic Senate Candidate Abdul Said Progress is being sought with MAHA constituents. Read more →
- 💰 Cash Dash: The Senate Leadership Fund will inject another $14 million into Ohio amid concerns about Republican senators. Jon Hustedcampaign. Read more →
- 🛢️Fossil Fuel Flip: In Texas, Democratic Senate candidates James Talarico As a statewide figure, he has taken a different stance on energy issues than he did earlier in his career. Read more →
- ⚖️ SCOTUS WATCH: The Supreme Court said it will consider whether deported immigrants can be detained indefinitely while their cases are pending. Read more →
- 📝Please forgive me: In an interview with Time magazine, Trump said he would consider preemptively pardoning members of his administration before the end of his term. Read more →
For now, that’s all the Political Desk has to offer. Today’s newsletter is edited by Adam Wollner.
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