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Issues like inflation and affordability have dominated the 2026 midterm elections, but public corruption is joining them: The consensus view is bipartisan and overwhelming questionnaire released earlier this month by the Brennan Center for Justice.
Republicans, Democrats and independents recognized that corruption is a major problem permeating every government institution. Over 90% of respondents in each group said this was true – as did 92% of all respondents.
The survey was conducted among 2,000 registered voters between April 28 and May 6.
Perhaps the biggest surprise among the findings is that there is so much agreement in an era of partisan polarization. For example, 65% of Democrats, 66% of independents, and 56% of Republicans agreed that the main cause of corruption is corporate political contributions.
Perhaps less surprisingly, corruption comes to the fore because voters see it as linked to other major concerns.
Respondents were asked whether they agreed with the statement that “corruption is responsible for policies that benefit billionaires and large corporations at the expense of the American people.” 83% of Republicans, 90% of independents and 95% of Democrats agreed.
These and many other responses indicate that immense bipartisan majorities believe that many things that are completely legal in the United States are nonetheless corrupt.
“When it comes to what qualifies as corruption, voters across party lines disagree,” the Brennan Center said in a written statement. “They understand corruption broadly, focusing in part on the belief that the government acts primarily in favor of the ultra-wealthy and well-connected and does not prioritize the interests of the majority of voters. The poll shows that while 97% of voters say that a government official who uses his office for personal gain is corrupt, almost as many (89%) say the same about billionaires and large corporations who have an easier time being heard than the general public.”
The poll results may confirm the actual election.
In Festus, Missouri, in April, voters fired four incumbent city council members right after they voted to authorize the construction of a hyperscale data center. Residents and opposition candidates told Politico that the backlash was fueled by voters who felt they had no say in the project.
In Georgia, incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, is trying to turn corruption – and its links to economic hardship – into the centerpiece of his campaign as he seeks re-election.
“Voters link corruption directly to the kitchen issues and government problems they experience every day,” the Brennan Center said. “Eighty-eight percent blame corruption for the persistence of today’s biggest problems that the government has failed to address, and 83% say corruption is responsible for the failure of public services.”
Although respondents generally agreed that corruption is a huge problem and that it is rooted in the government’s indifference to voters, there were still some clear differences between the parties.
For example, 97% of Democrats and 76% of independents agreed that President Donald Trump is corrupt. Only 34% of Republicans did so.
But while such differences exist, huge, bipartisan majorities agree that much stricter rules on how campaigns are financed are needed to make voters’ voices heard.
“Overwhelming majorities of voters across party lines support campaign finance reforms,” the Brennan Center said. “These include legislation to end shadowy money, or funds from groups that do not disclose their donors (85% overall, with 88% support among Democrats, 84% support among independents, and 85% support among Republicans) and a constitutional amendment to overturn Supreme Court rulings that have narrow money limits in elections (79% overall, including 84% support among Democrats, 81% support among independents and 75% support among Republicans).
She added that support for these activities covers the entire country, cities and rural areas.
“Majorities in regions across the country support amending the constitution to restore campaign finance limits, with support from more than three-quarters of voters in the West (82%), the South (78%), the Northeast (81%), and the Midwest (76%),” it said. “The same applies to the division into urban (81%), suburban (79%), and rural (76%).”
