Abstract
While foreign policy isn’t a top concern for New Hampshire voters this year, its effects are being felt close to home. Rising prices tied to tariffs, the ongoing war with Iran, and debates over local immigration enforcement have all made their way into the 2026 midterm conversation.
In this brief, author Melinda Negrόn-Gonzales draws on polls of New Hampshire voters and residents from the UNH Survey Center and the Saint Anselm College Survey Center to examine how voters view these issues and how they connect to the concerns shaping their choices in the midterm elections. She concludes that foreign policy may not top New Hampshire voters’ list of concerns, but in 2026 it is hard to separate foreign policy from the kitchen table issues that do. The Iran war and tariffs impact the cost of living, and a dispute over a proposed ICE facility has turned immigration enforcement into a local fight. Taken together, the polls and campaigns suggest that Granite Staters judge foreign policy less by events abroad than by their consequences at home.
Department
Carsey School of Public Policy
Publication Date
Fall 10-28-2026
Series
Issue Brief 204
Publisher
Durham, N.H.: Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire
Recommended Citation
Negrόn-Gonzales, Melinda, "Foreign Policy and the New Hampshire Electorate: The 2026 Midterms" (2026). Carsey Publications. 579.
https://scholars.unh.edu/carsey/579
Rights
© 2026 University of New Hampshire. All rights reserved.