Foreign Policy and the 2026 Midterms

This episode surveys the foreign policy stakes of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, from the Iran war and gas prices to tariffs, Ukraine, and Israel.

Host:

James M. Lindsay (cfr.org/experts/james-m-lindsay), Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR

Guests:

Hannah Hartig (pewresearch.org/staff/hannah-hartig), Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center

Jessica Huseman (votebeat.org/authors/jessica-huseman), Editorial Director, Votebeat

We Discuss:

• Why the national mood is “sour” heading into the midterms, and how the economy and cost of living dominate voters’ concerns.

• How to be a smarter consumer of polling data.

• Whether foreign interference in the vote count is a real risk, and why Huseman doesn’t worry about tabulation being hacked.

• How high gas and diesel prices are voters’ primary concern related to the Iran war, and whether they blame Trump for the spike.

• Why foreign policy has become a more important issue for Democratic voters since 2022 and 2024, though it still ranks behind other concerns.

• How tariffs are landing in highly partisan, region-specific ways, from the Midwest to the northern border states facing Canadian tariffs.

• Where Ukraine and a widening generational divide over Israel fit in, and whether either issue actually moves votes on Election Day.

For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President’s Inbox at: cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/foreign-poli…

Opinions expressed on The President’s Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.