Cost-of-living: How 2026 candidates promise cheaper groceries
Six major campaigns outline distinct strategies to lower household expenses, ranging from banning AI rent algorithms to lifting fracking bans.
By Julia Novak ·
Roy Cooper, the former governor of North Carolina, is running for U.S. Senate with a platform centered on making household essentials cheaper. He argues that tariffs, corporate influence, and anti-competitive mergers have squeezed families on groceries, housing, and health care. To address this, Cooper plans to ban algorithmic pricing and block mergers that reduce competition. He also proposes that data centers pay their full share of power costs and that utilities ban shutoffs during extreme weather. His housing plan includes building more homes while barring corporate and foreign buyers from purchasing single-family residences.
The focus on affordability has become the dominant theme in the 2026 election cycle. A poll released this month by the health policy nonprofit KFF found that 62% of voters identify the cost of living as the top issue they want candidates to address. Health care, gas, and other transportation costs also ranked near the top of public concerns. Candidates across the political spectrum are packaging various policy proposals into slogans designed to directly tackle these rising prices.
In New Mexico, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland blames record corporate profits and federal tariffs for driving up the cost of everyday necessities. Her affordability agenda includes waiving permit fees for stores in food deserts to support local grocers. To lower housing costs, Haaland proposes speeding up approval processes and banning AI-driven rent fixing. She also plans to raise the minimum wage by adjusting it for inflation annually and to expand the Child Tax Credit.
Republican Bruce Blakeman, running for governor of New York, attributes high costs to state taxes and green energy policies. He claims that utility rate hikes and electricity costs have become unmanageable for many residents. Blakeman promises to cut utility bills by half, though he has not detailed the specific mechanism for this reduction. His plan also includes expanding domestic energy production by lifting New York’s ban on fracking.
Annie Andrews, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in South Carolina, is campaigning on the slogan 'Gas, grits and groceries.' She argues that corrupt politicians and tariffs are inflating the price of basic necessities. To provide immediate relief, Andrews proposes suspending federal gas and diesel taxes. She also wants to expand the child care workforce through a federal apprenticeship program and give local communities more power to influence data center development.
James Talarico, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Texas, frames high costs as part of a corruption crisis where billionaires hold too much political influence. His plan to unrig the economy includes cancelling medical debt, passing universal child care, and repealing tax breaks for the top 1% of earners. Talarico would redirect the savings from those tax breaks into a cost-of-living tax cut. He also aims to streamline new home construction and require data centers to pay for their own power infrastructure.
In the same Texas Senate race, Republican Ken Paxton blames corporate price-gouging and government spending for rising costs. His 'Protecting the Texas Promise' platform includes creating a federal tax deduction of $50,000 for first-time homebuyers. Paxton also proposes doubling the child tax credit and offering a $5,000 deduction for healthy-lifestyle expenses like gym memberships. He supports making Trump Accounts for children permanent and requires data centers to fund their own power infrastructure.
Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for California governor, argues that weak competition and price-gouging are threatening the California Dream. He plans to freeze utility rates and home insurance premiums while cracking down on price gouging. Becerra intends to declare a housing state of emergency to cut permitting delays and speed up construction. He has also pitched himself as a health care governor who will cover all Californians.
Voters seeking more details on these proposals can consult their state or local election offices. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission and Can I Vote provide directories linking to official state resources. The League of Women Voters offers VOTE411, a tool that displays candidate positions on specific issues. These resources allow citizens to compare the specific policy promises made by candidates in their districts.
