The Receipt
Voters handed the president an itemised bill: tariffs, Iran, prices, enforcement. The news covered the items in a different order from the one voters ranked them in.
By the politic.design data desk · 5 Nov 2026, updated 6 Nov 2026 · Preliminary counts
Exit polls read like a receipt. Two-thirds of voters said tariffs hurt the economy, and they voted Democratic 81–18. Nearly two-thirds called military action against Iran the wrong decision (83–15). Four in ten said their family was worse off than two years ago (75–23). Only 37% approved of the president.
The second half of the story is Brantopic's. We ran its news collector over 90 days of US coverage (GDELT, 5 August to 4 November) for each item on the bill, and its anomaly gate, the same one that tells a client when coverage of their brand is unusual, flagged the days each issue broke out. That puts newsroom attention beside voter priority. The test: did coverage track what voters say decided their vote, or what campaigns paid to put on air?
The kerb chart covers the persuadable middle: the groups still within six points of even. In a 13-point national win, the close groups were men, people over 45, Catholics, voters with some college, and voters whose finances hadn't changed. These are the groups 2028 will be fought over.
The bill
In shortWhat each issue cost or earned Republicans, in votes. Voters named their top issue; each line is that issue's share of voters times how lopsidedly they voted. Issues that cost Republicans are charges, issues that won them votes are credits, and the total is the Democrats' winning margin.
Running total, issue by issue
Also on the tab · not added up, voters could tick several
Brantopic · for your brandWhat is your brand being billed for?An itemised receipt of the issues costing you customers and coverage, and the ones winning them back, for your brand and your industry.Show me this for my brand
The kerb: who was still close
In shortEach dot is a group of voters; the further left, the more Democratic. Groups inside the shaded strip were within six points of a tie, so they're still up for grabs in 2028. Bigger dots are bigger groups.
Brantopic · for your brandWhich of your customers are on the kerb?The groups within a few points of choosing you or leaving you, sized by how many of them there are, for your brand and your market.Show me this for my brand
What the news covered, from Brantopic
In shortOne cover per issue; hover or tap a cover to open its full chart. The line behind each cover is how much of the US news mentioned it each day from August to election day; amber dots are days Brantopic flagged as unusually busy. The line under the title is how much voters said the issue mattered.
Brantopic · for your brandGet your brand's cover.Your daily coverage line, with the days Brantopic flags as unusual, sent the moment they happen.Show me this for my brand
We checked 12 claims about the midterms. Check 5 about your brand.
Brantopic matches what is being said about you against the evidence, and keeps a receipt for every verdict. Free snapshot.