Wave 14 of the Multicultural Political Tracker shows party affiliation indicates where persuasion begins; financial strain, issue closeness, and political safety decide if voters engage

/PRNewswire/ -- My Code, a culture-first media company and marketing agency, has issued Beyond Party Lines: Why Midterm Persuasion Requires Cultural Relevance, a new public report from Intelligence Center from My Code. Based on Wave 14 of the Multicultural Political Tracker, conducted in March 2026 among U.S. citizens ages 18 to 64 with focused insights into AANHPI, Black, Hispanic, and broader multicultural eligible voters, the report provides campaigns, political advertisers, and voter engagement groups a clearer audience perspective ahead of the midterms.

The report's main finding is that reach can deliver political messages to voters, but relevance decides whether those messages align with the pressures, priorities, and risks voters already face. Party affiliation stays a vital starting point, yet it fails to clarify which issues feel personal, credible, or worth attention. My Code's three-lens method, viewing voters via party affiliation, multicultural identity, and generation, highlights where broad political alignment stops and issue-specific, culturally rooted relevance starts.

"For more than a decade, we have examined how culture influences what people watch, purchase, and accept. The takeaway for political communicators this cycle is clear: reach is not connection," said Amani Duncan, Chief Executive Officer of My Code. "Voters are sharing precisely which pressures they carry. The campaigns that view cultural intelligence as core strategy, not a routine task, will be the ones that capture their focus."

Among the report's key findings:

Financial pressure sets the tone, but specific costs build relevance. Nearly two-thirds of Democrats (65.2%) and 59.4% of Independents report the economy has worsened over the past six months, and majorities across party groups anticipate tariffs will raise consumer prices.

Immigration reveals where policy turns personal. Half of Gen Z voters (50.1%) personally know someone impacted by immigration policies, increasing to 61.2% among Hispanic Gen Z.

Feeling understood unlocks persuasion potential. Feeling understood boosts trust among roughly six in ten Democrats and Republicans, and nearly half of Independents (48.9%) note it raises their likelihood to consider a politician, agency, or party.

Political silence often signals risk, not disengagement. Among voters who feel less safe discussing politics, roughly half across party lines point to fear of retaliation or being targeted.

"Party ID reveals where persuasion starts. It cannot reveal where it ends," said Emil Hill, Political Strategist and Lead of My Code's political practice. "The winning campaigns in November will identify the specific cost, the specific policy, and the specific risk their voters face, select messengers with permission to join the discussion, and avoid confusing quiet voters with disengaged ones."

The complete report is available through My Code resources.

About My Code

My Code is a culture-first media company and marketing agency that links brands with growth audiences, the multicultural and multigenerational consumers who represent the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. market. Through owned media properties including Remezcla Media Group, HipLATINA, La Opinión, and El Diario, plus a strategic publisher network spanning CTV, digital, social, audio, and experiential channels, My Code provides both scale and cultural relevance. My Code's proprietary Intelligence Center is the cultural intelligence engine behind the Multicultural Political Tracker, built on more than 10 years of continuous cultural research, giving brands the insight and creative capability to authentically engage these audiences and drive measurable business growth. Learn more at mycodemedia.com.

SOURCE My Code