Conservative group tops $37 million in cost-of-living ads for midterms

America Action Network (AAE), a conservative nonprofit advocacy group associated with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has surpassed $37 million in messaging on cost-of-living issues, according to its leadership.

“The cost of living is the number one issue on the minds of working families right now. American Action Network invested $37 million, highlighting how conservative policies deliver real relief,” Chris Winkelman, AAE’s president, said in a statement to Digital.

The renewed spending further solidifies affordability as a key issue that is expected to play a pivotal role in the 2026 midterms.

While inflation has risen in recent months, AAE believes that Republicans can continue to press the affordability message as an effective way to reach voters and have highlighted the issue in several ads, narrowing in on the work Republicans have done through Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill.

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The group has been advancing messaging on the bill since it was passed in July of last year.

“The American comeback is here. President Trump and House Republicans are delivering for the American people, keeping their promises and delivering the change they demanded. Giving working families the tax cut ever, cutting taxes on tips and overtime and strengthening our border,” an ad states.

“It’s a new America,” the added continued.

A recent poll shows 58 percent of voters view cost of living as their top economic worry, up from 50 percent of voters in Fox’s February poll.

Democrats have also targeted affordability, pointing to President Donald Trump’s promises of lowering everyday costs that have run into hurdles amid the fallout of the war in Iran and higher gas prices. Inflation rose 4.2% in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — a data point House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has repeatedly pointed out.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a press conference on Department of Homeland Security funding at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2026. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“Inflation just hit a 3-year high, gas prices are out of control and life under Donald Trump is unaffordable,” Jeffries said in a recent post to X.

Even so, AAE and other Republican groups have blasted Democrats for opposing relief measures included in the Big Beautiful Bill, noting that, if successful, their opposition would have likely led to widespread tax increases.

That’s the view of Richard Hudson, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). 

“House Democrats continue proving they’re out of touch with the concerns of everyday Americans. Republicans are focused on affordability, public safety, and securing the border, while Democrats remain captive to the far-left agenda that’s failing working families,” Hudson said.

In one $3 million ad blitz in Florida, Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District and Washington State, AAE slammed Democrats in those areas.

“Marie Gluesenkamp Perez must have a short memory. She clearly forgot about us when she voted for the largest tax hike in American history. Perez voted against giving more money to hardworking Washington families,” the ad states in one example.

VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS HAMMERED WITH SCATHING AD HANDCUFFING THEM TO MAMDANI, JEFFRIES

A man shops in a supermarket while checking his phone for low prices amid inflation. (iStock)

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The group hinted that, even with the $37 million that’s already been spent, its efforts aren’t finished.

“Keep an eye out — we have much more to come later this summer,” Winkelman said.