(NewsNation) — Midterm elections are just one week away and the polls are tightening, especially in battleground states that could determine the shift of power in the House and Senate.

A panel of experts joined “Morning in America” to discuss how the key issues focused on in this midterm election could affect race outcomes.

NewsNation senior contributor George Will said that most of the Democratic issues focused on this midterm election, such as abortion, most likely won’t be determining factors in this midterm election, but rather, he thinks crime and the economy will be deciding factors.

“I think what you’re going to see is crime and inflation, which is ubiquitous and reminds the voters of its presence every time they buy a loaf of bread or a gallon of gas,” Will said.

Bankrate released a new survey on how Americans see their finances since President Joe Biden took office, and there’s a contrast based on age groups and party affiliation.

Mark Hamrick, a Bankrate senior economic analyst, said that when they asked Americans this question, 43% said their personal finances are worse compared to two years ago and only 18% said their personal finances are better.

“It tends to be the case that younger Americans said they were faring relatively better, older Americans faring relatively worse and, perhaps it should not come as a surprise that broadly speaking, Democrats were saying that their finances were faring better relative to Republicans,” Hamrick said.

Former NYPD Chief of Patrol Wilbur Chapman said that crime is also a “great equalizer” and that people want to feel safe, which will motivate them at the polls.

“It’s something that affects individuals in a way that will force them to come out and be active in civic activities in terms of voting,” Chapman said.

Chapman said that since there has been a complete, or almost complete, breakdown in the respect for authority and institutions, crime has surged on a daily basis and has set up a mindset in society where people feel insecure about their safety.

“All of us are having to deal with a relatively unprecedented confluence of events that include a pandemic, historically high inflation and the war in Ukraine. And so these times are quite unique. And they are remarkably challenging,” Hamrick said.

Will said that it seems like most voters ignore the attributes of the candidates and look more at which party they are electing.

“We are so tribal and so polarized in our political thinking in the United States that we want the blue shirts or the red shirts, and that’s all we think about,” Will said.

He explained that electing candidates based on the party may not be the best option and may result in the weaker candidate being elected.