As the midterm elections are underway in the United States, new Google data shows the top issues voters have been searching for in the days leading up to the vote, reports Business Insider . The data identified five key issues taking the lead in the searches, with health care and immigration earning first and second place respectively. The three remaining most-searched issues in the top five are social security, abortion, and minimum wage.
From October 30 to November 1, the data shows that health care and immigration continuously fought for first place, but on the days leading up to the election and on voting day on Tuesday, health care dominated as the most-searched issue.
The key issue of the Democratic party is health care while immigration has been at the base of Trump’s platform since taking the presidential office. Both political parties have been focusing on one key issue in an attempt to solidify their position in people’s minds and swing voters.
Although the Republican party has been urging Trump to focus on the job market and economy, neither issue made the top-five list. According to Business Insider , Politico reported that Trump’s larger focus on the immigration issue may end up costing the party seats. The publication added that although House Speaker Paul Ryan strongly encouraged Trump to shift his focus to the economy in the days leading up to the election, a source claimed that Trump preferred focusing on immigration because it fired up the base.
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— Dave3 (@geeksofdoom) November 6, 2018
Forming the base of the Democratic party’s platform is the issue of health care, with roughly half of all ad spending going toward health care. Democrats are narrowing in on the Republican party’s stance on pre-existing conditions and Trump’s proposal to cut $800 billion in spending for the Medicaid budget. Democratic candidates are ensuring voters that under their health care regime, no one will be denied medical coverage based on a pre-existing condition.
The biggest concern among Republican voters is illegal immigration. Trump’s commentary on immigration and the current caravan of Central American migrants moving towards the U.S. has attracted many voters. He has dispatched troops to the border and made statements that he will prevent immigrants from being granted asylum if they seek it in the United States.
The states of Alabama, Oregon, and West Virginia all include measures to reduce abortion access while Arkansas and Missouri residents will be voting on increasing minimum wage. The final issue in the top five focuses on the GOP’s stance that the country’s growing deficit is due to social security spending and similar government programs.
