Ninety-three percent of registered voters are concerned about soaring inflation and the poor economy with the midterm election just 20 days away, a Wednesday Politico/Morning Consult poll found.
Ninety-three percent say they are either “very concerned” (71 percent) or “somewhat concerned” (22 percent) about inflation brought on by the Democrats’ massive spending and the war on American energy.
The same amount of respondents also report being “very concerned” (68 percent) or “somewhat concerned” (25 percent) about the souring economy that economists predict has a 100 percent chance of being in a recession in 2023. Sixty-eight percent of respondents believe the nation is already in a recession, the poll found.
Inflation and the economy are the top two issues for voters. Eighty-one percent say President Joe Biden’s economy will be a “major” factor in how they vote. Eighty percent say the same about inflation. Top second-tier issues include crime (64 percent), abortion (57 percent), and illegal migration (55 percent).
The issue of inflation is likely to hurt Democrats in the midterm election. Sixty-four percent say Biden’s economic and energy policies were either very or somewhat responsible for inflation. Just 27 percent say he is not too responsible or not responsible at all for soaring costs.
A plurality of voters (46 percent) trusted Republicans to resolve inflation, while just 37 percent said the same of Democrats, a nine point gap.
Americans have been impacted by the Democrats’ sluggish economy. The soaring costs mean that after adjusting for inflation, wages for American families are down $6,000 under Democrat rule, a Heritage Foundation study revealed. That is an increase from an earlier estimate that put the decline in real wages at $4,200.
The poll surveyed 2,005 registered voters from October 14-16 with a 2 point margin of error.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.