Government corruption a top issue for US midterm voters, exclusive poll finds

Government corruption has emerged as a top issue in the upcoming US midterm elections, with an overwhelming majority of Americans saying US government officials use their public office for personal financial gain, according to an exclusive Harris poll for the Guardian.Nearly nine out of 10 Americans said that government corruption, as defined as elected officials putting their own or their donors’ financial interests ahead of the public’s, is a problem, according to the survey.Three-quarters (76%) of voters said that elected officials care more about enriching themselves than improving the economy for ordinary people. Voters were more likely to say that government corruption (65%) is more concerning than corporate power (29%). Just under 10% said that neither concerns them.The rising cost of living is still expected to drive the election, with 36% of voters saying it is the single most important issue to how they plan to vote in the midterms. But in a slate of other issues including immigration, housing costs, abortion, crime and safety and AI, corruption was the next top issue.A bar chart showing the responses from The Harris Poll. This survey question asked what the top issues are for voters. At 36%, cost of living came up as a top issue with the next four as: Government corruption (12%); Immigration (9%); Healthcare (7%); and Taxes (5%).The results come after nearly two years of Donald Trump’s second term, where the president has both figuratively and literally reshaped Washington.The president demolished the historic East Wing of the White House to make way for a $400m ballroom – $335m of which he said is coming from private donors, including companies such as Apple and Nvidia. The federal government is down more than 420,000 workers after Elon Musk was given the power to introduce massive jobs cuts after donating nearly $300m to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Meanwhile, Trump’s sons are running the family’s lucrative cryptocurrency business that has made Trump $1bn since returning to the White House. And Trump himself accepted a $400m private jet as a gift from the Qatari royal family.These actions have not gone unnoticed. Voters in the Harris poll were twice as likely to say that Republicans have a bigger corruption problem than Democrats. Forty percent of voters, including 29% of Republicans, said the GOP has a bigger corruption problem. A third (32%) of voters said that both parties have the problem equally, while 21% said that Democrats have the bigger problem.Independents, whose votes will be key in swing races across the country, were much more likely to say that Republicans have more of a corruption problem, with 34% saying that Republicans have the bigger issue and 13% pointing to Democrats. Most Independents (42%) said that both parties share the problem equally.The economy as experienced by everyday Americans has been vastly different from the portrait painted by Wall Street. The stock market has been soaring on the back of never-ending AI spending. In early October, both the S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq stock indices hit record highs.The gains have been a boon for a relatively small group of Americans. Americans in the top 1% of wealth own half of the stock market while the bottom 50% own just over 1% of the market.Armed with more funds than ever, America’s wealthiest people have been driving even more donations into elections. After the supreme court’s 2010 Citizens United case removed limits on campaign contributions, each election year has brought in new records of cash. The midterms have already cost $11.2bn in ads, according to NBC News, the most ever for a midterm cycle.A chunk of these donations are coming from the ultra-rich. Just 40 donors have already contributed $2.5bn to races this year, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Last week, billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced he was contributing $80m in last-minute funding for Democratic candidates, while Donald Trump said he is personally contributing a total of $400m to Republicans.This bar chart shows responses on which party has a bigger problem with financial corruption. Republicans top this chart at 40% with Democrats at 21% and both equally at 32%.For everyday Americans, this flood of cash has changed the motivations of elected officials, who many believe will ultimately prioritize themselves and their donors over their constituents. A majority of voters (78%) in the Harris Poll agreed that “elected officials care more about enriching themselves than helping people like me”.“Government corruption has shot up to become the second most important issue in the midterms after cost of living. Americans are triggered by leaders they now see as both responsible for and profiting off their growing economic hardship,” said John Gerzema, CEO of Harris Poll.Regardless of who ends up controlling Congress after the midterms, voters across the political spectrum are expecting solutions to address the ongoing affordability crisis that is impacting their lives.Out of a slate of policies to address the cost of living, a third (32%) of voters said that there should be limits on the influence of companies and lobbyists on government decisions. The second most popular policy was removing tariffs (29%), followed by limiting how much companies raise prices on goods (24%).This chart shows what actions should politicians take to address high prices. Ranked as the first choice is “limit the influence of companies and lobbyists on government decisions.” This is 32% of respondents. The second highest is “remove tariffs on imported goods” at 29%.On Tuesday, voters in California will decide on a ballot measure that could place a one-time 5% wealth tax on billionaires in the state. Tech billionaires have been spending an estimated $1m a day, altogether more than $340m, to fight the measure. Half (50%) of voters in the new poll, including 56% of Independents, said that billionaires do not pay their fair share of taxes. Just 28% of Republicans said the same.Some in corporate America are catching onto the discontent. Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in an interview that he supports a national wealth tax, a comment that got him backlash from some Republicans.“We should have a national wealth tax – it won’t work by state because people will just move,” he said. “And I think we should have inheritance taxes that get close to 100% at some level. I would pay them.”This survey was conducted online within the US by The Harris Poll from 22 October to 24 October 2026 among a nationally representative sample of 2,065 US adults, among whom 1,481 are likely to vote in the 2026 midterm elections.