New USHBC Midterm Polling Map Offers a Closer Look at Business Owners’ Concerns in Six States
6,008 respondents across 28 states, with a closer look at priorities and voting preferences in New York, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and California.
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 23, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / -- The United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC) today announced the launch of its 2026 Midterm Polling Map, an interactive webpage offering a national and state-level look at business-owner sentiment ahead of November’s elections.
Drawing on responses collected from September 12 through October 12, 2026, the platform brings together findings from 6,008 business owners across 28 states, with detailed results available for California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Florida, and New York. Visitors can explore voting preferences alongside business conditions, economic pressures and the issues respondents say matter most at the ballot box.
The findings reveal a business community navigating sustained financial pressure:
• 30.7% of respondents identifying as Independent, 35.5% identifying as Democrat and 33.8% as Republican.
• On the national generic U.S. House ballot, 43.4% favored a Democrat, 41.6% favored a Republican and 15% remained undecided.
“Business owners aren’t living these issues as campaign talking points. They’re seeing them in their invoices, their payroll and what their customers can afford,” said Javier Palomarez, USHBC President & CEO. “By way of example, when an owner puts off an expansion or leaves a position unfilled, that decision reaches a family and a community. This platform helps connect what people are experiencing with what they’re looking for from the candidates asking for their votes.”
Economic pressure extends from business operations to voting priorities. Across the combined national sample:
• 77.2% said fuel and energy prices negatively affected their businesses.
• 66.8% reported a negative impact from tariffs.
• 60.6% said immigration enforcement affected their workforce significantly or somewhat.
• 52.7% said business conditions are worse than a year ago.
• 62% had to raise prices during the past 12 months.
• 49.8% had cut back hiring or left positions unfilled.
• 47.9% had delayed an investment or expansion.
• Affordability and energy costs led respondents’ voting priorities, selected by 46.9% as one of their top three issues. Immigration followed at 28.7%, health care at 26.2% and housing at 23.9%.
“Nearly a third of the owners who responded identify as Independent. Neither party should assume it has their support,” Palomarez said. “Candidates need to explain how their policies will make it easier to operate a business, hire people and serve their communities. These owners are looking for answers they can understand and results they can measure.”
State Level Results Tell a More Detailed Story
Visitors can hover over highlighted states to see sample sizes, candidate preferences, undecided shares and the leading issues, then click through to fuller results.
Affordability and energy costs were the leading issue in each of the six state popups shown for California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Florida and New York, despite differences in candidate preferences.
With the midterms just over two weeks away, the platform captures business-owner sentiment at a critical point in the election. It reveals the economic concerns candidates must address, where voters remain undecided and how pressures differ across states.
“The USHBC’s purpose is to ensure business owners are central to the election conversation. Small firms make up 99.9% of American businesses, and create nearly 70% of our nation’s new jobs every year. They fuel community prosperity and put food on kitchen tables, including their own. These owners vote as employers, parents and providers, feeling the impact of economic conditions across every aspect of their lives. Candidates need to understand what they’re experiencing and answer those concerns,” Palomarez said. “This map connects those everyday pressures with the choices business owners face at the ballot box. It shows what matters to them nationally and state by state, and where candidates still need to earn their confidence.”
Explore the 2026 Midterm Polling Map: https://www.ushbc.com/survey-results
About the Survey
The platform presents responses collected September 12–October 12, 2026, from 6,008 business owners across 28 states. Percentages are unweighted shares of respondents. Findings describe participating business owners and should not be interpreted as estimates of all U.S. voters. Questions allowing multiple selections may total more than 100%. Party identification and undecided voting preferences are separate measures.
To learn more, follow @myushbc and @JPalomarez on X.
Visit ushbc.com/join to become a member today.
About the USHBC
Javier Palomarez is the President & CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC). The USHBC is a leading voice for the small business community. A 501(c)6 non-profit organization, the USHBC focuses on the success of American small businesses by ensuring they have a voice in the national dialogue. The USHBC is a nonpartisan organization.
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Katherine Machado O'Hara
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