Politico-Public First poll finds most Americans say there is too much money in politics

May 09, 2026

A Politico poll conducted with the research firm Public First found that 72% of U.S. adults say there is too much money in politics, including majorities across the political parties.

The survey of 2,035 U.S. adults was conducted online from April 11-14, according to Politico’s report.

Politico reported that respondents also expressed concern about political influence and spending, including majorities who said billionaires have too much influence and who agreed that special-interest spending amounts to corruption that should be met with stricter limits.

In the poll, 5% of respondents disagreed with the statement that there is too much money in politics, Politico reported.

Fact checking

Confidence score

78

Confidence comment

The key numerical claims (72%, 2,035 adults, April 11-14 field dates, and 5% disagreeing) are consistent with Politico’s description of its Poll conducted with Public First, and the broader theme of public concern about money and special interests aligns with long-running findings from major survey organizations. However, most of the specific figures and question wordings in this story are only directly documented in Politico’s reporting, and Politico’s page could not be independently accessed through the browsing tool in this session, limiting full verification of exact phrasing and subgroup results.

What people are saying

Users widely agree with the poll that excessive money influences U.S. politics and elections, with majorities across parties noting billionaire and special interest sway; some highlight roles of consultants or call for spending reforms, while others express surprise the figure is not higher.

JUST IN: 72% of Americans say that there is too much money in politics, per a new poll by POLITICO.

— Quiver Quantitative (@QuiverQuant) May 9, 2026

"72 percent of Americans say there is too much money in politics, with just 5 percent disagreeing. Across parties, majorities say billionaires wield outsized influence over U.S. politics and that special interest spending is a type of corruption that should be restricted, rather…

— Claire Potter 🇺🇸 (@TenuredRadical) May 9, 2026

We all know what the problem is…💰💰💰

“72 percent of Americans say there is too much money in politics… majorities say billionaires wield outsized influence over U.S. politics…

Nearly half of respondents say voters have too little power.”https://t.co/lP3X3Rb2gz https://t.co/cTBoXlpNK5

— Jack Charbonneau (@MrJLCharbonneau) May 9, 2026

“This type of astronomical spending corrodes people’s faith in our system of government, and I think people are really looking for changes to take some of this outrageous amount of spending and rein it in,” @mjbeckel tells @POLITICO. https://t.co/CzmK66V6HY

— Michael Kruse (@michaelkruse) May 9, 2026

Im shocked that it's STILL only 62%... I'd think it would be MUCH HIGHER!!!

— Kevin (K.T.) Tyler (@ktbass1) May 9, 2026

Sources

• https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/09/poll-americans-say-too-much-money-in-politics-00912455
• https://coinmarketcap.com/academy/article/most-americans-distrust-crypto-ai-ahead-of-pac-heavy-midterms
• https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/poll-super-pac-cryptocurrency/2026/05/03/id/1255054/
• https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/09/19/money-power-and-the-influence-of-ordinary-people-in-american-politics/