Battleground-state voters across the political spectrum say the cost of their health care has skyrocketed this year. They’re avoiding the doctor because they can’t afford the out-of-pocket expenses. They feel forced to choose between paying their insurance or their rent — and they’re choosing rent.
It’s everything Democrats warned would happen when Republicans cut Medicaid and let Obamacare subsidies lapse last year. But those same voters aren’t pinning the blame on Republicans alone.
Those are among the findings from a pair of focus groups that Democratic-aligned firm Navigator Research conducted last week with people who have either experienced premium increases or have gone uninsured.
According to a Navigator research focus group study on working-class citizens who voted for Donald Trump in 2024, many voters expressed buyer’s remorse regarding their elected president, with many feeling “duped” by his administration. The main reasons for their regret? They see a declining economy with rising stock, gas and tariff prices, Trump’s use of ICE enforcement and his handling of the Epstein files.
Roughly one in five voters who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election now say they regret their decision, according to new polling from Navigator Research released Thursday.
An April survey from the Democratic-aligned pollster Navigator Research found that 49% of Americans view the GOP’s 2025 tax and spending law unfavorably in comparison to 36% who view it positively.
A whopping 80% of Americans, according to Navigator’s polling, said they believe their elected officials are unable to get anything done because they’re too focused on enriching themselves and their donors. And 77% said elected officials are too out of touch with, and don’t understand, the struggles of average people.
“Americans don’t feel like any politicians really ‘get it.’ Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and can no longer afford basic necessities like gas and groceries — and they can tell that politicians as a whole aren’t experiencing the same day-to-day struggles they are,” said Maryann Cousens, Navigator’s senior manager of polling and analytics, in an email.
“If someone can show they have an understanding of the daily struggles of normal people, then they’ll have significantly more credibility when promoting an affordability agenda,” Cousens continued.
Trump’s approval rating fell below 36 percent in at least one recent poll, with crucial midterm elections on the horizon. His approval rating on gasoline hit a “rock bottom” of 28 percent according to a poll from Navigator Research.
