Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said on Thursday that Democrat policies caused the latest “shocking inflation numbers.”

“The Dems radical economic policies caused these “shocking inflation numbers,” Schmitt said on social media, attaching his formal statement following this week’s Consumer Price Index report:

“Make no mistake — the Democrat’s radical economic policies directly caused these skyrocketing inflation numbers. Missouri families deserve better than my liberal opponent, who admits that she wants to raise taxes while having no plan to lower the cost of food, rent, and utilities,” he said.

“In the U.S. Senate, I will stand up to Joe Biden’s obsession with reckless spending, and I will work to make America energy independent,” he added:

Indeed, prices surged even higher in September, rising 8.3 percent higher than they were one year ago, according to Tuesday’s Consumer Price Index report. Further, that reflects a 0.4 percent uptick from August, per the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As Breitbart News reported:

Core CPI, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, rose 6.6 percent compared with a year ago. That is the highest rate of core inflation since 1982, surpassing the recent 6.4 percent highs hit in February and March. For the month, core prices were up 0.6 percent.

Economists had expected the index to be up 0.2 percent on a monthly basis and 8.1 percent compared with a year ago. Core CPI was forecast as rising 0.4 percent month-to-month and 6.5 percent compared to a year ago.

The monthly figures show inflation is accelerating. After falling to zero in July, the headline consumer price index has risen for two straight months. In August it was rising at a 0.12 percent rate. Core prices were up 0.31 percent in July and 0.56 percent in August.

Schmitt is facing off against Anheuser-Busch beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine, whom he has referred to as a “limousine liberal.”

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Friday’s RealClearPolitics average showed Schmitt leading his Democrat challenger by an average of 11 percent.