Midterm voters tell politicians: Tackle corruption

Washington | Nov. 07, 2026, 5:00 a.m. ET | 4 min read While economic pressures were a driving issue in the midterm elections this week, voters pointed with similar intensity to another priority: They care about the values and behavior of the officials they elect.And they expect better.Tillie Ann McHone, a delivery driver who cast her vote in Commerce City, Colorado, trained her focus on President Donald Trump. In the midterms, Democratic candidates regularly accused Mr. Trump of using the presidency to enrich himself, his family, and his wealthy allies. “What are we paying taxes for at this point if he’s going to take all our taxpayer money and just give it to rich people?” she told the Monitor on Election Day. “I want Trump out of office.”Mr. Trump wasn’t on the ballot, but voters sent him and his Republican Party a clear message, giving Democrats wide majorities in both branches of Congress with victories in many parts of the country that voted for him two years ago. In the 2026 SSRS Voter Poll, conducted on Election Day, 90% of voters said that corruption was a crucial or major problem, at least as important as inflation, immigration enforcement, and the war in Iran.The concern surged to the forefront, to an unusual degree, at a time when Mr. Trump has drawn scrutiny for, among other actions, family business dealings that have continued apace during his time in office. But if voters’ focus on the issue has been heightened for that reason, the term “corruption” includes a matrix of concerns about morality and ethics. When voters believe their public figures – Democrats or Republicans – are enriching themselves or their friends rather than looking after the interests of citizens, as a Harris Poll found the week before the election, it weakens people’s faith in the possibility of peaceful democratic solutions.Raymond La Raja, a political scientist at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, says people are more sensitive about corruption and self-dealing when the economy slows down. That’s when “perceptions of corruption go up, and this presidency has made that easier for people to pull that from their feelings.”Though polls suggest that Americans are decrying corruption, they differ on who is to blame. Democrats tend to see corruption in the White House, and Republicans in the bureaucracy, Professor La Raja says. The incoming Democratic majorities in the House and Senate will have to prove they have solutions.“In order for the corruption argument to work, there has to be a credible alternative,” he says. “I’m not sure the Democrats have made that case yet.”Tim Clark of Lebanon, Maine, is among those whom Democrats would need to convince. He voted a straight Republican ticket. “I’m tired of the corruption,” which, he says, has “been going on for way too long, and it is time to make some changes, hopefully for the better.”Marina Pino, who serves as counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, polled Americans about corruption last spring. She says they saw the power of big money in decision-making as having a major effect on their daily lives. They often blame corruption for the failure of public services.She believes this election shows that voters expect their elected officials to push for bold solutions, such as changing campaign finance rules to reduce the impact of big money.“This is a time to do these bold solutions and not do the fine tweaking around the edges, because that’s not where voters are right now,” Ms. Pino says.Zeina Turk of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, said she voted for Mr. Trump in 2024 but voted for Democrat Abdul El-Sayed to represent her state in the U.S. Senate. She said she sees a chance for something different. “If we don’t make changes, we won’t have opportunities,” she told the Monitor. “Change is good sometimes.” New majorities in the House and Senate put Democrats in a position to address voters’ concerns. Jessica Tillipman, the associate dean for Government Procurement Law studies at George Washington University Law School, says Democrats will aim to tackle corruption by using committee control to conduct investigations and oversight. Democrats have floated investigating everything from the Trump family’s crypto dealings to businesses accused of practices such as price-gouging.But a hurdle for Democrats, Ms. Tillipman says, is that the Trump administration controls the Justice Department. Congress can issue subpoenas to compel people to testify, but it can’t prosecute anyone, which limits how much it can enforce accountability.She adds that Democrats could choose to put pressure on private corporations that have taken actions perceived as corrupt.“Companies operate quite differently than an individual,” she says. “It’s not just about the idea of a criminal prosecution, but it’s also reputational harm.”Dan Greenberg, a senior legal fellow at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, says Democrats can show voters they care about corruption even if President Trump vetoes new legislation. If they require the president to place his interests in a blind trust, for example, it’s a signal to voters and can put Republicans who block them in a tight place.“If members of Congress can tell the story that corruption not just benefits some people but it harms the general public ... that, I think, is how they have to do it in order to persuade the American public.” For Dana Berlin of Kennebunk, Maine, it’s a matter of elevating one of the pillars of American democracy: checks and balances at the federal level. Deepen your worldviewwith Monitor Highlights.Politics with respectGet political stories with respectful analysis.There‘s a world of new ideas in everyBooks newsletter.There‘s more to life, enrich yours withCulture & Learning weekly.Follow humanity‘s discoveries withScience & Nature stories in your inbox.Gain a spiritual perspectivefrom the stories in your inbox.Want to understand the deeper impact of critical events? Learn the Monitor‘s insight.Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. “I feel like that’s one of the major things that we’ve lost is that sense of balance, and so we want to see that restored.”Staff writers Patrik Jonsson in Bluffton, South Carolina; Victoria Hoffmann in Kennebunk, Maine; Zachery Proctor in Lebanon, Maine; Sophie Hills in Dearborn Heights, Michigan; and Sarah Matusek in Denver contributed to this story. ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LoginReal news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to “speak the truth in love.” Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.