乔希·约克是一名退役的陆军少校，现在在阿拉斯加安克雷奇的医疗保健管理局工作，他亲眼目睹了高昂的燃料价格是如何让阿拉斯加人远离公路的。在美国最大的州的偏远地区，价格高达每加仑24美元。
“汽油价格似乎不会下降，相信我，我会看着，”三次成为特朗普选民的约克告诉美国广播公司新闻。
约克说：“最近，我们在阿拉斯加农村的中部，我们为每加仑汽油支付了8．99美元，”他将价格上涨归咎于伊朗战争。专家称，那场战争大大降低了霍尔木兹海峡的运输速度，战前全球五分之一的石油和天然气都要通过这里运输。
在11月3日的中期选举之前，经济是全国各地美国人的心头之患，届时几个关键州的选民将对美国国会的控制权产生巨大影响。
美国广播公司新闻部前往阿拉斯加州、爱荷华州、新罕布什尔州和缅因州，发现许多美国人对他们的个人财务状况感到沮丧，并意识到他们的投票将是对唐纳德·特朗普总统工作表现的公投。
边境州
特朗普本周在美国大陆以外的地方旅行，以提升共和党参议员丹·沙利文（Dan Sullivan），他面临来自民主党众议员玛丽·佩尔托拉（Mary Peltola）的连任挑战，这是民主党希望他们能够赢得对美国参议院控制权的四个席位之一。
总统为对伊朗的战争辩护，告诉阿拉斯加人战争将很快结束，当战争结束时，价格将会下降，并说他的对手已经就可负担性进行了选举。
“每次他们想试着得到我，他们说‘负担得起，先生。这和那。”他在安克雷奇以北45英里的瓦西拉的一次集会上说，我说，是他们造成了问题。“但我们已经大幅减少了。＂
参议院竞选——被分析为特朗普在2024年以13个百分点获胜的州的胜负——反映了选民的价格压力。
近几个月来，总统的民调数字已跌至历史最低点。一项新的调查显示，超过一半的美国人（52%）强烈反对特朗普ABC新闻／华盛顿邮报／益普索民意调查．
与特朗普结盟并支持伊朗战争的沙利文承认，冲突导致价格上涨，并表示应该“很快”结束。
一位选民说，费尔班克斯的取暖费甚至超过了抵押贷款费用。
约克告诉美国广播公司新闻频道（ABC News）的“本周与乔治·斯特凡诺普洛斯（George Stephanopoulos）的联合主播玛莎·拉达兹（Martha Raddatz），尽管他投票支持特朗普，但他全面反对总统：在他处理经济、伊朗战争和总统带领国家的总体方向方面。
约克对自己在两位候选人之间的选择没有把握，他说他的投票将取决于经济。
“我知道他们都对阿拉斯加有自己的想法，也知道他们想怎么做。我不会说一个是对的，另一个是错的，”他说。“但在这一点上，我必须考虑什么对我的家人最好。我必须考虑什么对我的孩子最好。”
心脏地带
在美国的中心地带，选民告诉ABC新闻，能源价格和总统的贸易政策引发了围绕中期选举的讨论，包括在竞争激烈的爱荷华州参议员竞选中。
不断上涨的柴油价格让依赖柴油运输的农民吃不消。
“我们那边的水箱能装3500加仑。现在要花20，000美元来填充它们。一年前，它的价格大约是12000美元，”养牛农民丹·佩德森说，他曾三次投票给总统。
“连锁反应——拖运牲畜、皮卡、卡车，一切都是——简直是天文数字。这太疯狂了，”他说。
彼得森说，在他的“坚定的共和党朋友”中，特朗普有很多“摇摆不定”。参议院席位的共和党候选人，众议员阿什利·辛森与总统决裂，敦促总统结束伊朗战争。
总统上周宣布了一项针对柴油价格的特殊补救措施，他在与俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京的电话中表示，两位领导人已经同意一项“柴油协议”，该协议将允许俄罗斯柴油进入世界市场，俄罗斯柴油在很大程度上受到制裁的阻碍，并因乌克兰袭击俄罗斯炼油厂而陷入困境。
许多共和党议员表示，总统的举动将有利于入侵邻国乌克兰的独裁政府。
“我们需要降低这个国家的汽油价格，”辛森说。“我们需要降低柴油价格，但我认为我们不需要与俄罗斯达成协议。”
在邻近的内布拉斯加州，共和党众议员唐·培根（Don Bacon）正在离开自己的座位，他说，共和党支持特朗普的方式可能会代价高昂。
他告诉Raddatz，共和党担心他的政党在传统上红色的内布拉斯加州和堪萨斯州的胜算，民主党希望在中西部的参议院竞选中取得意外的胜利。
他把自己的选举胜利归功于自己的独立性格。
“你必须能够表明你是你自己，你代表这个地区，”他说。
在本周的一篇X帖子中，培根表示，特朗普与普京的协议是对乌克兰的背叛。
他写道，总统正在“支持独裁者的入侵，并抛弃盟友”。
独立的东北部
在该国东北部，独立选民拥有相当大的影响力。
这里倾向于民主党的州继续选举共和党人——比如缅因州的五届参议员苏珊·科林斯，他正在寻求第六次选举。
柯林斯是少数几个经常与特朗普决裂的参议院共和党人之一，她说在最近的一次辩论中，她“在伊朗战争问题上九次投票反对总统”
选民指出她在国会中作为最高拨款人的角色，监督关键的资金机制，Mainers说这给了他们在华盛顿的重要发言权。
在一个两极分化的时代，选民们说是柯林斯的独立品牌赢得了她的尊重。
自称终身民主党人的玛丽·安妮·林奇说：“我认为客观地说，她是参议院中最具两党色彩的成员，我认为我们需要更多的苏珊·科林斯，而不是更少。”。她计划今年11月投票给柯林斯。
布伦达·加兰之前一直在柯林斯的阵营中，三次投票给她——但她说她不会在2026年投票。
“我想说，对我来说，投票给特洛伊·杰克逊最重要的原因是确保有一个民主党参议院，”加兰说。
她辩称，柯林斯对自己强大的地位做得还不够。
“她走得太远了……［我］对她的行为深感失望，作为一个真正达到有所作为的能力顶点的女人，”加兰说。
在邻近的新罕布什尔州，这位民主党参议员候选人在他的州看到了同样的动态。国会议员克里斯·帕帕斯告诉拉达茨，自副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯2024年在花岗岩州险胜以来，民主党在该州的优势有所改善。
“我每天都会遇到共和党人，他们反对他们所看到的本届政府的所作所为，”他说。“我在‘不自由，毋宁死’的州遇到了持自由主义思想的选民，他们不支持在移民和海关执法方面不光彩的移民过度行为。］＂
帕帕斯在新罕布什尔州政坛面临一个知名人物：约翰·苏努努，共和党州长克里斯·苏努努的兄弟。
新罕布什尔州共和党前主席克里斯·阿格（Chris Ager）称苏努努为“典型的新罕布什尔州政治家——非常务实，非常常识化，非常独立于华盛顿。”
他补充道，“我认为这在11月3日会卖得很好。”
Midterm vote is about ＇what＇s best for my family＇： Voters talk 2026 midterms
Josh York， a retired Army major who now works in health care administration in Anchorage， Alaska， has seen firsthand how high prices for fuel have kept Alaskans off the road． In the far reaches of America’s largest state， prices are as high as $24 per gallon．
“The gas prices don＇t seem to be coming down， and believe me， I watch，” York， a three-time Trump voter， told ABC News．
“Recently， we were out in the middle of rural Alaska， and we were paying $8．99 a gallon for gas，” York said， blaming the higher prices on the Iran war． That war has substantially slowed traffic through the Strait of Hormuz， experts say， through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas transited before the war．
The economy is on Americans’ minds across the country ahead of midterm elections on Nov． 3， when voters in a handful of key states will wield outsize impact on control of the United States Congress．
ABC News traveled to those states -- Alaska， Iowa， New Hampshire， and Maine -- finding many Americans who are frustrated with their personal finances and aware their vote would be a referendum on President Donald Trump’s job performance．
The Frontier state
Trump traveled outside the continental United States this week to boost Republican Sen． Dan Sullivan， who faces a reelection challenge from Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola – one of four seats the Democrats hope they can capture to win control of the U．S． Senate．
The president defended the war against Iran， telling Alaskans the war would end soon and prices would come down when it did， and said his opponents had made the election about affordability．
“Every time they want to try and get me， they say ＇affordability， sir． This and that．＇ I said， ＇They caused the problem，’ he said at a rally in Wasilla， 45 miles north of Anchorage． “But we have reduced it very substantially．’”
The Senate race – analyzed as a toss-up in a state where Trump won by 13 points in 2024 – is reflecting the price pressures of voters．
The president’s polling numbers have plummeted to record lows in recent months． Just over half of Americans， 52%， strongly disapprove of Trump， according to a newABC News／Washington Post／Ipsos poll．
Sullivan， who is aligned with Trump and has backed the Iran war， acknowledged the conflict was causing higher prices and said it should end “soon．”
One voter said heating costs in Fairbanks had even exceeded mortgage costs．
York told ABC News’ Martha Raddatz， co-anchor of ＂This Week with George Stephanopoulos，＂ that even though he’s voted for Trump， he disapproved of the president across the board： in his handling of the economy， the Iran war and the overall direction the president was taking the country．
York， unsure about his decision between the candidates， said his vote would come down to the economy．
“I know that they both have their ideas for Alaska and how they want to do things． And I＇m not gonna say one＇s right versus the other being wrong，” he said． “But at this point， I＇ve got to look at what＇s best for my family． I＇ve got to look at what＇s best for my kids．”
The heartland
In America’s heartland， voters told ABC News energy prices and the president’s trade policy were animating discussions around the midterm elections， including in a competitive Iowa senate race．
The rising diesel prices have crunched farmers who rely on diesel for transport．
“Our tanks over there hold 3，500 gallons． It costs $20，000 now to fill them． A year ago it cost ［about］ $12，000，” said cattle farmer Dan Pederson， who voted for the president three times．
“The ripple effect – hauling cattle， pickups， trucks， everything ［is］ just-- it＇s just astronomical． It＇s crazy，” he said．
Pederson said among his “staunch Republican friends” there was a lot of “wavering” on Trump． The Republican candidate for the Senate seat， Rep． Ashley Hinson， has broken with the president， urging him to bring the Iran war to an end．
The president announced an extraordinary remedy to the price of diesel last week， saying in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the two leaders had agreed to a “diesel deal” that would allow Russian diesel， largely blocked by sanctions and trapped because of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries， to enter world markets．
Many Republican lawmakers said the president’s move would benefit an autocratic government that invaded its neighbor， Ukraine．
“We need to lower gas prices in this country，” Hinson said． “We need to lower diesel prices， but I don＇t think we need to be making a deal with Russia to do it．”
In neighboring Nebraska， Republican congressman Don Bacon， who is stepping away from his own seat， said Republicans’ formula of backing Trump could prove costly．
The Republican worries about his party’s odds in traditionally red Nebraska and Kansas， midwestern Senate races where Democrats hope to manage surprise victories， he told Raddatz．
He credited his own independent streak with his own election victories．
“You got to be able to show that you＇re your own person and you represent the district，” he said．
In an X post this week， Bacon said Trump’s deal with Putin was a betrayal of Ukraine．
The president was “propping up a dictator’s invasion and throwing an ally under the bus，” he wrote．
The independent Northeast
In the country’s Northeast， independent voters wield considerable influence．
Democratic-leaning states here have continued to elect Republicans – like Maine’s five-term Sen． Susan Collins， who is seeking a sixth election．
Collins is one of the few Senate Republicans who regularly breaks with Trump， saying in a recent debate she “voted nine times against the president on the Iran war．”
Voters pointed to her role as the top appropriator in Congress， overseeing the key funding mechanisms that Mainers say gives them a crucial voice in Washington．
In a polarized era， voters said it’s Collins’ independent brand that has won her respect．
“I think that objectively speaking， she is the most bipartisan member of the Senate， and I think we need more Susan Collins， not fewer，” said self-described life-long Democrat Mary Anne Lynch． She plans to cast her ballot for Collins this November．
Brenda Garrand has been in Collins’ camp before， voting for her three times – but she says she won’t in 2026．
“I would say， for me， the most important reason to vote for Troy Jackson is to make sure that there is a Democratic Senate，” Garrand said．
Collins was not doing enough with her powerful perch， she argued．
“She has gone a step too far … ［I’m］ deeply disappointed in her behavior as a woman who has really reached the apex of an ability to make a difference，” Garrand said．
The Democratic senate nominee in neighboring New Hampshire sees the same dynamics at play in his state． Congressman Chris Pappas told Raddatz that Democrats’ margins in the Granite State had improved since Vice President Kamala Harris’s narrow victory there in 2024．
“I＇m meeting Republicans every day that are opposed to what they see this administration doing，” he said． “I＇m meeting libertarian-minded voters in the ‘Live Free or Die’ state that don＇t support the disgraceful immigration overreach with respect to ［Immigrations and Custom Enforcement．］”
Pappas faces a known name brand in New Hampshire politics： John Sununu， the brother of Republican Gov． Chris Sununu．
Chris Ager， a former chair of the New Hampshire Republican party， called Sununu “that quintessential New Hampshire politician – very pragmatic， very common sense， very independent of Washington．”
He added， “I think that＇s going to sell very well on Nov． 3．”
