More than 500 congressional, gubernatorial and judicial races are happening today, along with thousands of state and local ballot measures on everything from state income taxes to voter identification requirements to abortion rights.
However, leaders at some of the industry’s leading associations are focused on housing, with today’s election results shaping the implementation of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act or the passage of the More Homes on the Market Act on the federal level. On the state and local level, legislators have pitched multiple ballot measures aimed at improving housing affordability — like California’s Prop. 1 and Prop. 37, both of which provide billions in funding toward increasing affordable housing stock and providing down payment assistance for homebuyers.
The leaders Inman spoke with said they’re staying out of the mudslinging surrounding the midterms and focusing on advocating for legislation that makes homeownership and wealth building available to all Americans, regardless of their background.
The National Association of Realtors
The National Association of Realtors has more than a century of experience working through the American political system, finding ways to secure pro-housing legislative wins no matter which party holds the majority.
NAR Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer Shannon McGahn said the 2026 midterms are no different, with the group’s Realtor Political Action Committee (RPAC) providing bipartisan support for 429 candidates across the U.S.
Although the implementation of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and the passage of the More Homes on the Market Act are a top priority, McGahn said there are more than 30 state and local ballot measures that NAR is supporting this November — from property taxes to public transit.
“The makeup of Congress may change, but our priorities stay the same,” she said in an emailed statement. “Real estate accounts for nearly 20 percent of the nation’s GDP and touches every ZIP code in America.”
“We focus on the issues, and have strong relationships with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who are committed to addressing housing affordability,” she added. “The bipartisan passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a prime example of what we can accomplish by working together to advance solutions that expand access to homeownership.”
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American Real Estate Association
Jason Haber
The American Real Estate Association has spent 2026 building its political power, focusing on state and local measures — like preserving state income taxes in Missouri and pushing back on a pied-à-terre tax in New York City. The group’s co-founder, Compass broker Jason Haber, also launched Built for New York, a 501(c)(4) that aims to register every NYC real estate professional to vote.
In an email to Inman, Haber said ARA is focused on license law, transfer taxes, rent regulation and zoning policies, all of which have the ability to impact buyers, sellers and homeowners more immediately than federal laws.
He pointed to New York City’s rent stabilization laws as an example, arguing that current limits on increases (currently there’s a freeze on increases for 1- and 2-year leases signed between October 2026 and September 2027) discourage property owners from making repairs and lead them to remove those units from the market.
Haber said ARA is encouraging its members to vote on Tuesday and use their knowledge as real estate professionals to guide their choices at the ballot box.
“Read the down-ballot races and local measures, because that’s where property taxes and housing rules are decided,” he said. “Whatever your party, show up. When good people stay silent, bad things happen. It’s time for us as an industry to use our collective voice to provide solutions to the most pressing challenges we face from coast to coast.”
Data visualized with the help of AI.
National Association of Real Estate Brokers
Ashley Thomas III
The National Association of Real Estate Brokers knows all too well about navigating political strife — the group was created to fulfill the needs of Black real estate professionals who were barred from joining until 1961. (NAR’s first Black member, Ben Slayton, got membership in 1964 after paying $5,000 to a white Realtor for sponsorship.)
NAREB President Ashley Thomas III told Inman that the same resilience defines the organization today, as it advocates for housing equality and access through bipartisan lobbying.
Thomas said NAREB supports any legislation that makes homeownership and financial stability more available to Americans of all racial, social and economic backgrounds.
Although the focus on Tuesday is passing new measures, the NAREB president said there’s plenty of existing housing policy on the books that can be amended and expanded without the influence of Congress, like pushing the Federal Housing Finance Agency to adjust how it approaches loan-to-debt ratios in community property states where only one spouse is applying for an FHA loan.
He also pointed to wider adoption of alternative credit scoring models, like VantageScore 4.0, that will help more borrowers qualify for mortgages, and greater availability of down payment assistance programs. “We’re nonpartisan, and our candidate is families trying to buy their first home. That’s who we’re actually supporting in this election,” he said.
Data visualized with the help of AI.
Asian American Real Estate Association
Michael Fong
The Asian American Real Estate Association’s midterm priorities come down to three things: language access, housing supply and protecting homeownership rights.
AREAA 2027 Policy Chair Michael Fong said the group has its eyes on ballot measures in California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas that could make or break Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) households’ journeys to become homeowners or maintain their homeownership rights as a growing number of legislators in Republican-majority states aim to put restrictions on who can own real property based on their nationality.
“In Pennsylvania, House Bill 163 proposed restrictions involving agricultural land ownership,” Fong said in an emailed statement. “In Florida, Senate Bill 264 has generated legal challenges and national debate about property rights and the implications of foreign ownership restrictions. Texas Senate Bill 17 represents another development in this legislative landscape. Although the enacted legislation includes exemptions for certain lawful residents and primary-residence purchases, its implementation raises questions about whether prospective homebuyers may experience confusion, additional scrutiny, or unequal treatment.”
“AREAA recognizes that national security is a legitimate public policy concern,” he added. “However, we believe these concerns must be addressed without creating discriminatory barriers or undermining fair housing protections.”
Fong said AREAA is bipartisan and committed to advocating for the AANHPI community year-round — not only on election days. “We encourage members to educate themselves about housing legislation, participate in civic discussions, and maintain relationships with policymakers throughout the year,” he said.
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LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance
Richard Woods
The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance said millions of LGBTQ+ Americans’ human rights are at stake this November. The Alliance’s 2027 president, Richard Woods, said the last two years have sparked a wave of fear through the LGBTQ+ community as Republican legislators have proposed nearly 900 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that aim to remove or weaken workplace, healthcare and fair housing protections. Woods said these legislative moves have pushed countless families to flee their home states and, in some cases, leave the U.S. and seek asylum in friendlier countries.
“For the communities we represent, these elections carry significant consequences,” he told Inman. “We witness how quickly the political landscape can change, and how policies threaten protections of our community that we’ve worked so hard for decades to secure. And while we don’t necessarily endorse any specific candidates or hone in directly on any particular elections, we’re evaluating candidates’ positions on LGBTQ+ equality, on housing discrimination policies that affect individuals’ and families’ ability to access housing without fear of discrimination.”
Woods said the Alliance is focused on protecting the Fair Housing Act and passing the Equality Act. The Fair Housing Act doesn’t explicitly list sexual orientation or gender expression as a protected class. However, progressive judges have expanded their interpretation of sex as a protected class to include LGBTQ+ renters and homeowners. The Equality Act would codify protections for LGBTQ+ Americans, but it has struggled to get beyond the House of Representatives.
The Alliance president said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has already begun revoking avenues of recourse for LGBTQ+ Americans who’ve experienced housing discrimination. They can file complaints, but Woods said HUD has halted its investigation of those claims — making it impossible to know the current extent of anti-LGBTQ+ housing discrimination.
“Affordability and equality in housing can’t be treated separately,” he said, noting that the Alliance also supports federal, state and local affordability measures. “We have to make homes more affordable, and that means little to someone who faces discrimination when trying to access them.”
Data visualized with the help of AI.
