President Donald Trump's unpopularity, due in part to an inability to execute his campaign promise to lower costs, is likely to hurt Republican congressional candidates in the midterms, according to political scientists and analysts (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images).Wall Street’s initial optimism following Tuesday’s midterm elections quickly turned into a sharp selloff, driven largely by concerns about the future of AI and data-center investments. But beyond the market’s volatility, the election results sent a message that leaders in Washington and Jefferson City should take seriously: Americans want relief from rising costs and a more stable future.
Democrats made major gains in Congress as many people voiced frustration about the cost of living, economic uncertainty, and national and foreign policies. Missouri’s results also showed a changing political landscape. Democrats gained seats in the state legislature, while Republicans lost their supermajorities in Jefferson City.
These results should not be seen only as a win for one party or a sign of political gridlock. They offer a chance to rethink policies that affect Missouri’s workers, farmers, families, and businesses. And the economic concerns behind that opportunity are real, not speculative.
Months before the election, an August 2026 Saint Louis University/YouGov survey of 900 likely Missouri voters documented widespread financial anxiety. 69% worried about affording health care, 66% about groceries and gasoline, 62% about utility bills, and 59% about property taxes. Only 25% rated Missouri’s economy as good or excellent, while just 21% gave the national economy similarly positive marks. The same survey found that 68% opposed construction of a new data center in their community.
The war with Iran added to economic pressures. As I discussed in my March analysis and June follow-up, the conflict’s effects on energy markets, transportation costs, and economic uncertainty extend well beyond the Middle East, reaching Missouri families, farmers, and businesses. Those economic consequences have since become part of the broader political debate, with even administration officials acknowledging the war’s role in the midterm backlash.
These findings do not establish why every Missourian voted as they did. But they show that economic dissatisfaction and concerns about the costs of technological development were already widespread before Election Day. The challenge now is to translate the demand for change into policies that deliver meaningful economic improvements.
Tariffs: An opportunity to reconsider the costs
Few policies show the gap between promises and reality as clearly as tariffs. The Trump administration says tariffs protect American industries, support domestic production, and improve the country’s position in trade talks. These goals may appeal to manufacturing states like Missouri, but tariffs can also raise costs for businesses that rely on imported parts, materials, and equipment.
As I explained in my earlier analysis of Missouri’s trade relationship with Canada, these costs are particularly significant because Missouri’s manufacturers depend on deeply integrated North American supply chains.
The new Congress can review the effects of current tariffs, strengthen oversight, and help shape a clearer trade strategy. The president has broad authority over trade, but Congress can influence policy through laws, hearings, and budget decisions.
Missouri farmers need markets, not just assistance
Trade is vital to Missouri farmers, who rely on global markets to sell soybeans, corn, and livestock. Trade disputes can prompt retaliation, costing farmers access to markets and putting them at a disadvantage compared with producers whose trade relationships are more stable.
Government assistance can provide temporary relief when markets are disrupted, but it cannot replace steady buyers and reliable export markets. Trade uncertainty also makes it harder for farmers to plan or make commitments extending well beyond a single growing season.
The new political balance in Washington offers a chance to rethink how trade policies affect agricultural competitiveness. Instead of relying mainly on assistance after disputes hurt farmers, policymakers should prioritize restoring predictable access to international markets.
For rural Missouri, that would represent a meaningful economic response to the frustrations surrounding the election.
Data centers and AI: Missouri voters are asking who benefits and who pays
The August SLU/YouGov poll found that 68% of likely Missouri voters opposed construction of a new data center in their local community, compared with just 17% who supported it. Opposition had increased by 17 percentage points since February.
The concern also crossed partisan lines, with majorities of both Republican and Democratic respondents opposing a data center in their community.
Large data centers can attract substantial capital investment, create construction employment, and expand local tax revenues, but they require enormous amounts of electricity, significant water resources, and costly infrastructure improvements. Their permanent employment benefits may be modest relative to the size of the initial investment.
As I have argued previously, attracting technology investment should not require communities to accept financial obligations without adequate transparency and accountability.
The new Congress can examine the national implications of AI-related electricity demand, energy infrastructure, and investment incentives. Missouri lawmakers, meanwhile, have an opportunity to strengthen transparency surrounding utility costs, local incentives, and infrastructure commitments.
Beyond data centers, AI brings both opportunities and risks to Missouri’s economy. It can boost productivity and create new opportunities, but it also threatens to displace workers, eliminate certain jobs, and widen economic inequality. Policymakers, businesses, and educational institutions must work together to prepare students and workers for these changes, help displaced workers transition into new careers, and ensure that small businesses can benefit from emerging technologies. They should make sure that innovation creates better jobs, raises living standards, and benefits communities, not just a few companies.
The voters have spoken. Economic policy must respond.
The midterm blue wave emerged against a backdrop of widespread economic dissatisfaction. Missouri’s own polling confirms that concerns about affordability, economic conditions, and the costs of technological development were firmly established before voters went to the polls.
These problems will not go away just because control of Congress has changed. But the election has created an opening for a different economic conversation, one focused less on political victories and more on measurable improvements in people’s lives. What matters most now is how policymakers respond to voters’ concerns and turn that response into economic progress.
