Thursday’s inflation numbers said consumer prices rose faster than expected in September, and the inflation rate remained near 40-year highs, likely cementing voter worries about the state of the economy as they head to the polls in November.
It was the last report on consumer inflation voters will see before they vote Nov. 8, and election watchers said inflation seems likely to be a major issue for voters, even as other issues like abortion and democracy compete for their attention.
“It’s the kind of thing that impacts everyone at every level of our social status and economic status,” Matt Germer, a resident elections fellow for the libertarian R Street Institute, told Fox News Digital.
“We all buy groceries, we buy gasoline, we pay our utility bills. And when those are going up month after month, it’s putting budgets under pressure. And that’s the kind of thing that motivates people in November…”
But Germer says when voters go to the polls, inflation will likely be the ultimate issue driving how they cast their ballots.
“For months now, Democrats have been trying to make abortion the issue in the election cycle. And there are definitely some people out there where that really is the motivating issue for them. But that’s not most people,” Germer said.
“I believe elections are important. I think there are some good ideas for reform,” Germer added. “I care very deeply about it. But that issue isn’t what’s driving people. It’s inflation.”
