Voters Put Gas and Grocery Costs Ahead of Culture
Three quarters of voters say the country is on the wrong track, with household costs ranking as their top concern.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Employment
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Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said on Fox News Channel's Special Report that woke is not coming back, after host Bret Baier asked whether it was. Exit polling showed three quarters of voters said the country is heading in the wrong direction.
Why it matters
Martin argued that gas prices, electricity costs and grocery prices are the more pressing concerns for voters than cultural issues. For households, the cost of everyday essentials is the central pocketbook issue that political messaging is now being framed around.
Exit polling found that three quarters of voters said the country was heading in the wrong direction. The source does not provide a comparison with earlier polling or a breakdown by household income.
The players
Ken Martin
Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, the party's national organization that sets fundraising and campaign strategy for Democratic candidates.
Bret Baier
Host of Fox News Channel's Special Report, a political news program widely watched by viewers following national politics and elections.
The details
Martin told Baier that voters' top concerns were gas prices, electricity costs and grocery prices rather than woke issues. Because these costs flow directly into monthly household budgets, shifts in voter sentiment often reflect how far those expenses stretch paychecks. The exit-polling result shows widespread pessimism about national direction, though the source does not link that sentiment to specific economic data.
Timeline
November 4, 2026: Martin's appearance on Special Report, where he said woke is not coming back.
Money Landscape
Voter sentiment about the economy has often tracked the cost of essentials such as fuel, power and food, which the source identifies as the top concerns. The exit-poll share of three quarters saying the country is on the wrong track is a single snapshot and does not by itself show how economic conditions have changed over time.
Households focused on gas, electricity and grocery prices may want to track those monthly costs against their budgets as the political debate develops. Changes in these essentials are the most direct way national economic conditions show up in everyday spending.
The takeaway
Track your own monthly spending on gas, electricity and groceries, since these are the costs voters say matter most. Reviewing those lines can help you judge how national economic conditions affect your household budget.
Further reading
For context on how household costs shape the national economic picture, see Employment coverage across the United States.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Breitbart.
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