Inflation Deflates Dems
As Biden takes legislative victory lap, voters sour on Dems, economy
A staggering 70 percent of Americans rated the condition of the U.S. economy as either "not so good" or "poor" in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Despite the Nov. 8 passage of President Biden's popular flagship infrastructure bill, this new polling data suggests Democrats may have cause for concern about the party's prospects in the 2022 midterm elections.
One poll question asked respondents to indicate whether they would vote for a generic Democrat or a generic Republican if the election were held that day. In the most recent round of polling, conducted Wednesday, registered voters favored the Republican 51-41. Just nine days earlier, respondents went for the Democrat 50-43.
This precipitous slide suggests that voters are prioritizing pocketbook issues, like gas and grocery prices, over legislative achievements that may not immediately affect their daily lives.
Consumer prices rose by 6.2 percent in October, marking the fifth consecutive month in which that key inflation indicator jumped more than 5 percent. Republicans have indicated they view continued inflation as an electoral opportunity, with Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) calling it a "gold mine," The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Washington Post-ABC News poll surveyed 1,001 adults by phone from November 7-10. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points. See more results at The Washington Post.