As the country inches closer toward Election Day, voters are homing in on issues that may decide the fate of Congress and several state governments in November.
The Washington Examiner is tracking which issues are on the top of voters’ minds as they prepare to head to the polls, particularly in key battleground states that could bring a shift in power to the federal government. Specifically, we’re tracking how voters are researching our top five issues — abortion, crime, education, inflation, and taxes — and how these interests fluctuate as we get closer to Election Day.
MIDTERMS 2022: TRACKING THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO VOTERS AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY
Below, you can track the interest of each of our key issues on a rolling 30-day basis in the state of Texas. The Washington Examiner will be updating this page as interests and voting concerns change.
Key races we’re watching in the state:
Despite being a reliably red state that leaves little room for upsets or surprises, Texas has a number of high-profile midterm races for federal and state-level positions.
The most closely watched election in Texas for November is the race for governor between incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott who is seeking to defend his seat against Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, a former congressman who initially rose to fame when he came close to defeating Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in 2018. The race is expected to lean Republican, but the battle between Abbott and O’Rourke has become more competitive over the last few months.
Elsewhere on the ballot, state Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking to defend his seat against Democratic challenger Rochelle Garza. The race has turned heads because Paxton runs on a campaign denying the results of the 2020 election despite holding an office that helps administer elections in the state.
Texas voters will also head to the polls to choose their representatives for several House races, with Republicans seeking to gain control of Congress in November.
Education
Education emerged as the top issue among Texas voters over the last month, reigning as the No. 1 searched topic as of Oct. 16, according to internet searches recorded and analyzed by Google Trends.
The most-searched terms related to education over the last 30 days included the names of student loan companies or “student loan forgiveness,” likely coinciding with the announcement of President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan in late August. However, Google searches for “jobs for teachers leaving education” also received a large spike in interest over the last 30 days, reflecting concerns from Texas lawmakers about an ongoing teacher shortage in the state.
Texas has 376,086 teachers employed for the 2021-22 school year, with nearly 12% leaving their jobs before the school year was over, according to data from the Texas Education Agency. That’s an increase from an average of 10% recorded in previous years. Additionally, 8,600 teachers retired in 2021, which is about 1,000 more than the year before.
Searches regarding education received renewed interest during the first week of September, likely in relation to a decision from the board of education delaying a vote on updates to the state’s social studies curricula to remove subject matter that makes students “feel discomfort.” That vote comes as several positions on the board are up for election in November.
Crime
Crime has remained steady as one of the top issues on the minds of Texas voters, particularly after the state was rattled by a mass shooting at an elementary school in May that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
The shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has especially taken center stage in the governor’s race, with O’Rourke repeatedly using it as a talking point against Abbott’s crime policies. O’Rourke interrupted a press conference held by Abbott one day after the shooting, confronting the Republican governor about the state’s gun laws that he said contributed to the incident.
O’Rourke again made headlines on the matter after criticizing a heckler who laughed as the Democratic candidate called for increased gun control in the state. “It may be funny to you, motherf***er,” O’Rourke said, “but it’s not funny to me.”
Taxes
Taxes also emerged as a top issue among Texas voters, consistently sitting in the top three issues throughout September and October, coming in at No. 3 as of Oct. 16.
It’s not clear what is driving the interest behind tax-related searches, but it may have something to do with the race for Texas’s comptroller as Republican Glenn Hegar has attracted headlines in his bid for a third term. The race for comptroller, a position that acts as the state’s chief tax collector, typically flies under the radar.
However, Hegar has attracted unusual attention by challenging several financial companies with anti-gas or -oil stances and threatening budget sanctions against some counties over a lack of law enforcement funding.
Abortion
Abortion remained a low-researched topic among Texas voters over the last 30 days, coming in at No. 4 as of Oct. 13 and not recording any spikes in interest in October.
Top searches related to abortion included queries on exceptions to Texas’s abortion ban and laws concerning the procedure in nearby states such as New Mexico. A new Texas law that took effect in August bans abortion in almost all cases after a heartbeat is detected, which is usually at about six weeks. Exceptions are made when the mother’s life is at risk.
The issue of abortion became central to several candidates’ campaigns after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this summer, ending nationwide access to abortions and instead returning the decision of its legality to the states.
Inflation
Inflation came in as the least-searched topic among Texas voters throughout October aside from a spike in interest on Oct. 13.
The spike in interest on Oct. 13 is likely due to the latest report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that was released on that day, the final report before Election Day. Inflation clocked in at 8.2% for the 12 months ending in September — higher than expected and defying the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes.
Stocks immediately took a hit after the report was released. Futures of the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down some 500 points just minutes after the report’s release. The S&P 500 was off by about 2%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq plunged nearly 3%.
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The most-searched terms related to inflation included the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed by Biden in early August. The measure seeks to reduce the country’s deficit by $300 billion over the next 10 years by expanding health insurance subsidies, increasing funding for the Internal Revenue Service, and offering financial incentives to companies that prioritize renewable energy.
Republicans have long focused on inflation as a key voter concern in the midterm election cycle, pointing to soaring inflation rates under the Biden administration. However, inflation has become less of a concern after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, offering Democrats relief and posing a challenge to Republicans as they formulate new strategies.
