The 2026 midterms reshaped Congress while revealing a broader message from voters of color about affordability, immigration, voting rights and government accountability. Black, Latino, Asian American and Native American voters supported Democratic House candidates by varying margins, but the results did not amount to unconditional loyalty to one party.

Across communities, voters expressed frustration with the cost of groceries, housing, healthcare and utilities, while concerns about immigration enforcement and civil rights remained pronounced. The results suggest an electorate willing to move when voters believe elected officials are not addressing the pressures affecting their families.

In a media briefing on November 6 hosted by American Community Media, a panel of experts discussed findings from the 2026 Midterm Election Voter Poll and what the results reveal about Asian American, Black, Latino and Native American voters, as well as immigrant communities.

The survey reached 10,141 voters between Oct. 19 and Election Day, including large samples of Latino, Asian American, Black, Native American and white voters. Its findings point to substantial differences among communities, but also considerable overlap around economic pressure, immigration policy, voting rights and expectations that the new Congress provide a meaningful check on executive power.

Speakers:

• John C. Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
• Clarissa Martínez De Castro, Vice President, Latino Vote Initiative, UnidosUS
• Kica Matos, President, National Immigration Law Center
• Henry Fernandez, Chief Executive Officer, African American Research Collaborative
• Annalise Guthrie (Cherokee Nation), Senior Research Officer, Research and Advocacy, First Nations Development Institute

Economic frustration cut across communities

Despite significant differences in how racial and ethnic groups voted, affordability emerged repeatedly as a common pressure.

The 2026 Midterm Election Voter Poll found that more than half of voters in every racial group surveyed believed the country was moving in the wrong direction. That included 74% of Black voters, 63% of Latino voters, 63% of Asian American voters and 61% of Native American voters.

Henry Fernandez said Black voters placed cost of living and inflation far above other issues, with 60% listing it among their three leading national concerns.

Food and groceries were the most frequently cited source of economic strain among Black respondents, followed by housing, gasoline, utilities and healthcare.

“These are folks’ everyday bills,” Fernandez said, “and that’s where Black voters are certainly feeling the squeeze.”

Clarissa Martínez De Castro described a similar concern among Latino voters.

“The majority of our community is barely staying afloat or struggling to stay afloat,” she said.

She characterized the Latino electorate as predominantly working class and argued that political movement among these voters should not simply be interpreted as one party permanently “winning” them back.

Instead, she said, voters are demanding results.

“Regaining or keeping the support for Democrats of these voters will hinge on delivering solutions to the issues that are squeezing working families beyond the breaking point,” Martínez De Castro said.

UnidosUS’ national survey of more than 3,000 Latino midterm voters similarly identified economic concerns and immigration enforcement as major drivers of participation.

Black voters remained strongly Democratic

Black voters supplied the largest Democratic margin among the racial groups included in the survey.

Fernandez said 85% backed Democratic House candidates while 13% supported Republicans.

The margin varied by age and gender. Black women age 40 and older supported Democratic candidates by especially large margins, while younger Black men showed comparatively more Republican support — though Democrats still won a substantial majority of that group.

A notable finding involved voters who said they had supported Donald Trump in 2024.

Fernandez said 35% of Black Trump voters reported backing Democratic House candidates in 2026. Among younger Black men who voted for Trump two years earlier, 29% said they supported Democrats this time.

He connected that movement partly to dissatisfaction with economic conditions.

Black respondents also expressed strong concern about voting rights. Fernandez said 82% supported passing a new Voting Rights Act, while 73% were worried voting rights were under attack.

The national poll similarly found that 73% of Black respondents believed the current environment was making it harder for people like them to vote and participate in democracy.

Asian American voters moved back toward Democrats

John C. Yang said Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander voters supported Democratic candidates by approximately two to one in Senate, House and gubernatorial contests.

He described that as closer to voting patterns seen before 2024, when Asian American support had shifted somewhat toward Republicans.

“One of the things that you see is that our community is a movable community when it comes to their view of the different parties,” Yang said.

He said one-third of Asian American voters surveyed had cast their first ballot only since 2022, highlighting how rapidly the electorate continues to change.

Political outreach may also have mattered.

Yang said 55% of Asian American voters reported contact from the Democratic Party during the election cycle, compared with 38% who reported Republican outreach.

Voting rights and executive power were prominent concerns. The national survey found 79% of AAPI respondents worried Congress was surrendering too much authority to the executive branch, while 59% said voting rights were under attack.

Yang also pointed to immigration and anti-Asian discrimination.

“Protect our vote, respect our families, and stand against hate,” he said, summarizing what he saw as the electorate’s message.

Native voters want engagement beyond Election Day

Annalise Guthrie warned against treating Native voters as an electoral footnote.

The survey included nearly 1,400 Native American respondents, providing a substantially larger sample than many national political surveys.

Native voters supported Democratic congressional candidates 57% to 41%, according to data presented by Fernandez.

But Guthrie emphasized another finding: 44% of Native respondents said Democrats did not care much about their communities — the same percentage that said so about Republicans.

“Native voters are making choices, but that doesn’t mean that they’re giving either party their unconditional support,” Guthrie said.

Outreach remained a major weakness.

Nearly half of Native respondents said they had not been contacted by a political party, campaign or organization about registering or voting.

“Native voters were not absent from our democracy,” Guthrie said. “Too often we’re absent from outreach strategies.”

Economic pressure was again prominent, with 55% of Native respondents ranking inflation and cost of living among their top three national concerns.

But tribal sovereignty distinguished Native political priorities.

Guthrie said 89% considered a candidate’s position on tribal sovereignty, treaty rights and federal responsibilities to tribal nations important when deciding whom to support.

“Tribal sovereignty isn’t just another political issue,” she said. “It’s the foundation of Tribal Nations’ ability to govern themselves, protect their lands and resources, and then determine our own economic futures.”

Immigration enforcement became a broader voter issue

Immigration policy was another area where the survey found substantial agreement across racial groups.

The national data showed majorities in every group saying ICE’s actions over the previous two years had gone too far — including 89% of Black respondents, 82% of Latino voters, 80% of AAPI voters, 77% of Native voters and 67% of white voters.

Kica Matos said the findings demonstrate support for changing the country’s immigration enforcement approach while retaining an orderly system.

She highlighted proposals centered on due process, family unity and giving judges a greater role in deportation decisions.

The poll found 77% of Latino voters, 79% of Black voters, 76% of AAPI voters, 75% of Native voters and 65% of white voters were at least somewhat open to replacing the current immigration system with one focused more heavily on fairness, family unity and due process.

Matos also cited separate research conducted before the election showing fear extending deep into immigrant communities, including among people with legal status.

Many Latino and Black immigrants reported worrying that a relative or friend could be detained or deported, and substantial shares said they did not feel safe publicly advocating for immigrant rights.

Yet those respondents also identified voting as one of the strongest ways eligible citizens could support immigrant communities.

A mandate — but not a blank check

A consistent theme across the speakers was caution against interpreting the election as permanent partisan realignment.

Martínez De Castro described Latino voters as a “swing electorate” and said neither party should assume its support.

Guthrie made essentially the same point about Native voters.

Yang said Asian American voters likewise demonstrated an ability to move between parties.

Even within the overwhelmingly Democratic Black electorate, Fernandez’s data showed meaningful movement among younger voters and people who had supported Trump in 2024.

The implication is that dissatisfaction, rather than partisan loyalty alone, shaped a significant portion of the result.

“Working families in this country are getting squeezed to the breaking point,” Martínez De Castro said.

If voters give a party power and do not see results, she added, “they will go in a different direction.”

The post-election political environment also shifted almost immediately. On Nov. 6, President Trump announced that Stephen Miller would replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, placing one of the administration’s most influential immigration-policy advisers in the top White House staff position.

For Matos, the appointment reinforced her view that Congress will face pressure from immigrant-rights groups to scrutinize the administration’s enforcement policies.

But the broader message extended beyond immigration.

Across racial and ethnic groups, voters expressed concern over affordability, checks and balances, voting rights and whether elected officials were responding to their communities.

Fernandez framed the result in simpler terms.

“What checked this administration was the voters,” he said, “the fundamental element of democracy.”

The next test is what elected officials do with that message.

All images courtesy of American Community Media