Inflation, crime issues favors GOP
One month out from the midterm elections, voters have made clear that crime and the economy are the two most important issues to them, according to recent polling — and they trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle both top issues.
The economy, particularly inflation, has consistently ranked as the number one priority for voters. A new Monmouth University poll, for example, found that 82% of Americans ranked inflation as an extremely or very important issue.
The latest NPR/Marist poll likewise showed inflation continued to rank as the top issue voters say they'll be thinking about while casting their ballots.
It's easy to see why. Overall inflation for consumers reached its highest levels in four decades earlier this year and continues to make the two most basic and essential costs of living — food and shelter — exceedingly high for working people.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released data showing food costs spiked 11.4% over the past year, and shelter costs, which include rents and various other housing-related expenses, jumped 6.2%. Mortgage rates have also skyrocketed over the same period.
With wages failing to keep pace with rising prices, the Labor Department said real average weekly earnings decreased 3.4% over the last 12 months. Various estimates show households on average will lose the equivalent of thousands of dollars this year due to inflation rising faster than wages.
Crime, meanwhile, is another top issue for voters. In fact, it ranked second in the new Monmouth poll, with 72% of Americans say it's an extremely or very important issue.
The latest Rasmussen Reports survey found that 83% of voters believe crime is a top issue and that 62% believe crime is getting worse.
Other recent polling has showed similar results amid a surge in violent crime.
Violent crime in urban areas rose 29% from 2020 to 2021, according to the Justice Department's recently released 2021 National Crime Victimization Survey, the nation's largest crime survey.
The survey doesn't include murder, although the FBI said this week that murders in the U.S. rose in 2021.
Preliminary data for this year has shown a surge in violent crime in cities across the U.S.
Polling has shown for months that voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on handling both crime and the economy by a substantial margin — in some cases by about 20 points.
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Both of these issues favor the GOP. Democrats caused inflation with their big spending in response to the pandemic by increasing the money supply. Their soft-on-crime policies have been a disaster for Democrat-controlled areas. The Democrats deserve a shellacking on both of these issues.
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