Republicans are gearing up for a midterm election year with Americans uneasy about the high cost of living, but many GOP lawmakers are appearing to blame Democrats without developing their own plan to ease household budgets.
Fresh off Democrats’ sweep of the Nov. 4 elections during which the winning candidates focused on affordability, Republicans are increasingly acknowledging the economic squeeze some voters are feeling. However, many GOP lawmakers are attributing current discontent about the high cost of living to Democrats’ economic policies during the Biden administration.
“This is the Biden economy. You can’t turn it around instantaneously,” House Rules Committee chairwoman Virginia Foxx told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a brief interview last week.
Republicans’ apparent reluctance to take ownership over the economy could risk backfiring in an election year that will determine the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency.
“As I see it today, Republicans’ messaging on the economy is awful,” Sam Kay, director of external affairs and public opinion at the Manhattan Institute, told the DCNF. “I hear a lot of ‘stop complaining,’ ‘have patience,’ and ‘it’s Biden’s fault,’ which is exactly the kind of stuff you tell voters right before you get blown out in the midterms.”
Republicans swept to power in Washington following the 2024 elections in part by lambasting former President Joe Biden for a spike in inflation and channeling voters’ unease with the high cost of living that rocked his tenure. They have found it difficult, however, to reverse voters’ perception that their purchasing power continues to decline amid persistent inflation and rising electricity costs.
A recent Fox News poll released Nov. 19 found 76% of voters view the economy negatively, which is a higher percentage than the 70% who gave the same opinion at the close of former President Joe Biden’s term.
The survey found by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, 62% of registered voters hold Trump more responsible than Biden (32%) for the current state of the economy. More than 40% of Republicans say Trump is responsible, though a majority of 53% blame Biden.
On affordability, 85% of respondents said grocery prices have increased over the past year, including 60% who said costs went up by “a lot.” Voters also said costs have increased for utilities (78%), healthcare (67%), housing (66%) and gasoline (54%).
Voters in New York City, Virginia and New Jersey also said the cost of living or the economy was their top issue in the Nov. 4 elections, according to exit polls.
If Republicans want to succeed in the 2026 elections, the party needs to become “hyper-aggressive” with its economic messaging, Kay told the DCNF.
The first order of business? “Voters think the economy is bad, so don’t tell them it’s good,” Kay said.
A common refrain from GOP lawmakers is that their efforts to slash regulations on energy production and provide tax relief just needs more time to hit voters’ pocketbooks.
Several Republicans told the DCNF that voters’ outlook on the economy will improve once the expan
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