Want your issue to win? Get the meat and potatoes right first

The 2026 midterm elections were about whether people could afford the food they eat, the house they live in, and take care of themselves and their families.That means it wasn’t about abortion, even though there are millions of pro-life voters. It wasn’t about climate change, even though millions of Americans believe Earth is dangerously overheating. They didn’t go because of guns, even though the Second Amendment debate is ferocious.And it’s all a reminder to those in the heart of politics that most voters will prioritize surviving over even their most important personal priorities. That’s why voters who didn’t like President Donald Trump backed him in 2024, with those who disliked both candidates picking him 55-32, and why even Vice President JD Vance admitted on Nov. 4 that Trump voters reversed course just two years later, citing the cost of living as one of the top four reasons. It’s easy to think that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has changed now that we have electricity, cars, and artificial intelligence. But we all still need food and a place to live, which is why even the most critical issues lose when people can’t eat. Jesus knew it; he taught the crowds AND fed them.Values can win when the impact is concrete and urgent. In 2016, the open Supreme Court seat after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death was the top factor for 21% of voters, and they went for Trump 56-41, even as economy voters went for Hillary Clinton. In 2022, after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, abortion-first voters went for Democrats more than 3 to 1.But most elections prove Democratic consultant James Carville’s 1992 rule: “The economy, stupid.” Which is why candidates spent almost four times less on abortion ads in the first months of this year than in the same period of 2024, and some Democrats started pitching it as a cost issue.Future candidates and their consultants can take two lessons from voters’ 2026 application of Carville’s rule: First, make your issue about economics, as diversity advocates did so effectively for years. They intentionally and intelligently made it about businesses doing better. They sold the business case so their values could come along with it.We helped a policy group do the same on an important social issue that, thankfully, has support on both sides of the aisle. Instead of looking at it from a solely partisan perspective, the organization examined where key members of both parties are moving the proverbial ball forward for the benefit of taxpayers and some of America’s poorest people.Second, there are some issues that have a less direct economic connection and are more easily framed as “ideological” or “political,” such as opposing abortion or prioritizing climate change. If you’re explaining, you’re losing, so it’s time to earn room for your issue by backing candidates who win on other issues.That’s what Gov. Ron DeSantis did in Florida. He signed one of the strongest pro-life laws in the country while also getting home insurance rates to fall for the first time in years. In 2024, 57% of voters backed an abortion amendment, short of the 60% it needed, but his party still won big that year. Last week, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) won the governor’s race by running on affordability.DEMOCRATS RAN RADICALS AND STILL WON. DON’T BLAME THE CANDIDATES — TRUMP OWNS THIS BLOODBATHVoters split with Florida Republicans on abortion but kept them in power because they delivered on the basics.It’s important to not compromise your values. The key is to remember that voters have one that matters more to them. Solve that, and your issue may become law without ever being on the ballot.Dustin Siggins is the founder of Proven Media Solutions.