The 2026 midterm elections are just days away.

On Tuesday, voters will head to the polls and cast their ballots to determine which politicians will fill all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and the 35 Senate seats up for election. The results could have several implications for business owners and promo companies, and play a role in shaping policy around tariffs, healthcare costs, petroleum prices and other key issues.

“It’s [become] harder for a brand to separate itself completely from political interpretation … The definition of what people consider political has really expanded, and when we’re in a contentious midterm election, everything becomes even more charged,” says Adrianna Moore, a public affairs expert and the founder and CEO of House of Chaos. “What you manufacture, how you use AI, the materials in your product, the partners you work with and even how you price things can become part of a political conversation.”

For Moore, the question going into the midterms isn’t so much what’s happening in Washington, but rather “what those developments mean for the people who are trying to build companies, people who are trying to serve customers well, manage employees and stay profitable because small business is really the backbone of the United States.”

In this month’s episode of the Promo Insiders Deep Dive, Counselor editor and host Tara Lerman sits down with Moore and other experts in manufacturing, public affairs, supply chain and healthcare policy to find out what the results of this midterm election mean for the promo industry. Plus, we dive into the data on midterm election spending and look at how candidates are using print and promo to communicate their messages.

Mentioned in this episode:
2026 Midterm Elections, September 2026: Marist Poll
Poll: Cost of Healthcare & Gas Top Voters’ Midterm Concerns
US & China Identify $60 Billion of Products for Tariff Reductions
US, Canada Fail To Reach a Trade Deal
Trump Administration Imposes New 10% to 12.5% Tariffs
Rising Fuel Prices Poised To Drive Up Costs for Suppliers
Suppliers Brace for Major Shipping Disruptions Amid Iran War
Congressional Candidates’ Promo Spending Tops $20M for Midterms
Viral & Attention-Getting Promo From the 2026 Midterm Elections
S.210 - SWAG Act