Election results can change how customers feel overnight. Buying decisions still depend on what they can afford, what they need, and the risk of moving forward.
The election results are in. Your next customer is still deciding whether to sign the proposal.
It is tempting to connect the two. A prospect goes quiet, sales slow down, and the explanation becomes, “Everyone is waiting to see what happens.”
Sometimes uncertainty does cause people to wait. But the evidence does not support a simple rule that customers stop spending or start saving more after every election.
For small-business owners, the useful question is more specific: What is making your customer hesitate, and what can you do about it?
What Republicans and Democrats predict for small businesses
Republicans have emphasized the benefits of tax certainty. In September, Senate Majority Leader John Thune argued that the tax legislation enacted in 2025 gives entrepreneurs a stronger environment for investment and growth. The argument is that keeping more money in the business—and knowing the tax rules ahead of time—helps owners plan. Source: Senator John Thune.
Democratic small-business leaders have focused on the pressure from tariffs, healthcare, and energy costs. Their argument is that these expenses squeeze business margins and household budgets, limiting the benefit of tax relief. Their proposals include tariff relief and measures intended to improve access to capital. House Small Business Committee Democrats; Senate Small Business Committee Democrats.
Those are competing policy arguments. Neither tells an individual owner exactly what next month’s sales will look like.
In interviews following the election, business executives said they expected near-term cost and tariff pressures to persist. Changes in congressional control do not immediately change supplier invoices, household budgets, or the policies already in place. Source: Reuters, November 4, 2026.
Do people save more after an election?
There is no dependable rule that an election produces a surge in saving.
There is evidence that uncertainty can encourage people to protect their cash and postpone major commitments. Federal Reserve research identifies delayed hiring, business investment, and large household purchases among the responses to rising uncertainty. Homes, vehicles, equipment, and other expensive commitments are particularly exposed because reversing those decisions can be costly. Source: Federal Reserve.
Election periods can contribute to that uncertainty. Research covering national elections in 23 countries found economic policy uncertainty was approximately 13% higher during the election month and the preceding month than in other months of the election cycle. Source: NBER Working Paper 27961.
That supports the possibility of delayed decisions. It does not establish that every election causes households to save more afterward.
As of November 4, it is also too early to measure consumer behavior following the 2026 midterms.
Political confidence and actual spending can move differently
People’s opinions about the economy often change when their preferred party wins or loses.
Their personal finances may change much less.
A 2026 Bank of Canada working paper examined survey data spanning 12 U.S. presidential elections since 1980. It found sharp partisan changes in expectations about the broader economy, while expectations about personal finances and employment risk did not show the same reversals. Source: Bank of Canada.
Separate research found that election-related shifts in sentiment about government economic policy had a small effect on consumer spending that could not be statistically distinguished from zero. Source: NBER Working Paper 21316.
A customer can feel pessimistic about Washington and still hire a contractor, replace essential equipment, or pay for a service they need.
These studies largely concern presidential elections. They offer useful context, rather than a precise forecast for this year’s midterms.
What the numbers showed entering the election
The latest available household data do not show a broad increase in saving before Election Day.
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the personal saving rate—the share of disposable income left after spending—declined from 4.5% in July to 4.0% in August and 3.8% in September 2026. Source: BEA personal saving rate.
September consumer spending increased 0.5% in dollars, but less than 0.1% after adjusting for inflation. Spending more dollars did not translate into a comparable increase in the amount purchased. Source: BEA September 2026 release.
Small-business owners were cautious, too. NFIB’s September membership survey found optimism close to its historical average, while uncertainty remained elevated. Only 7% of respondents said it was a good time to expand, down five percentage points from August. Source: NFIB.
Together, these findings describe pressure on customers and businesses before the election. They do not prove that the election caused it.
Find out why your customer is waiting
For your business, a stalled purchase can come from several different problems.
Affordability: Can the customer comfortably fund the purchase?
Timing: Is a specific event, approval, or decision holding it up?
Value: Does the customer understand what the purchase will accomplish?
Risk: Are they concerned about delivery, disruption, or the outcome?
Ask a prospect: “What would you need to feel comfortable moving forward?”
Then listen carefully.
If the concern is cost, explain the full scope and financial commitment. If it is disruption, show how the work will happen. If the customer doubts the outcome, provide relevant evidence from work you have completed.
A clearer message can help someone evaluate a purchase. It cannot make an unaffordable purchase affordable.
Make your business easier to choose
At Forward Brands, this is part of Market Readiness: understanding your customers, studying their alternatives, choosing your position, explaining your value, and putting that message to work.
After an election, start by checking whether your customers’ priorities have actually changed. Review recent sales conversations. Identify the questions that keep coming up. Make sure your website, proposals, and team answer them consistently.
You cannot promise customers certainty about the economy. You can give them useful certainty about your business: what you do, what it costs, how the work happens, and what supports your promises.
If your business delivers good work but struggles to explain its value, book a free clarity call with Forward Brands. We will look at your message and identify what to fix first.
By Reggie Ordonez, founder of Forward Brands, Marine Corps veteran, and StoryBrand Certified Guide.