The high cost of living has Americans angrier than ever. Guardian reporters answer your questions now about the economy before voters head to the polls
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Tom in the UK asks in a callout question: How much is Trump himself and the Republicans more widely being seen as responsible for the economy woes amongst Republicans? What are the messages on spurring the economy that the Democrats are making?
Lauren Aratani: In the results from the Guardian’s newest poll with Harris Poll, it’s clear that many Republicans are unhappy about the economy, but they seem conflicted on who is responsible. When asked who or what is most responsible for today’s gas prices – the US federal government, oil companies, the Iranian government or natural economic fluctuations – over half of Democrats and Independents said it is the federal government, while just 28% of Republicans said the same.
One interesting thing that stuck out in the poll is that Democrats were slightly more enthusiastic about their party’s ability to have a solution for the affordability than Republicans: 71% of Democrats said that their party has the solution, compared to 59% of Republicans. But that, of course, still means that many Republicans still back their party.
Heather: The Democrats’ key message has been: Trump’s war in Iran and tariffs are hurting the economy, and if you elect us we have a plan to stop both. They have also been stressing another issue recently that they’re tying to Trump and Republicans – corruption. We saw Texas Senate candidate James Talarico end a long town hall last night that spent a lot of time on Christianity with a message about his opponent Ken Paxton’s jump in net worth in office and ethical scandals, saying the election was “about whether we will have a senator who puts money in your pocket, or a senator who puts money in their own.”
Heather: This question is one that plenty of Americans are asking too, and one that’s fueled debates at dinner tables, on Facebook pages and at high school reunions. There are a lot of messy, angry conversations and plenty of bitterly divided families, offices and even churches – and the whole situation is exacerbated by the fact that we’re swimming in a sea of misinformation and biased alogrithms that colors what people believe about those things. But the bottom line is, people vote on pocketbook issues (even over democracy issues, as this Northwestern University survey found). If you can’t afford to get to work or feed your family or pay your rent, that’s an undeniable reality, not an Instagram meme, and that is usually going to be more important than what that guy in the White House is doing or what’s happening in another country.
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