{"id":1720955,"date":"2022-11-02T06:05:07","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T10:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1720955"},"modified":"2022-11-02T07:34:18","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T11:34:18","slug":"republicans-gain-with-voters-focusing-on-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-gain-with-voters-focusing-on-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans Gain With Voters Focusing on Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublicans-gain-with-voters-focusing-on-economy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1720955&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Recent polls show an increased likelihood of a \u201cred wave\u201d election, likely tied to voters settling on key issues favoring Republicans: the economy and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-inflation\">inflation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Republican candidates have relentlessly tied both issues to the Biden administration and Democratic Party policies.<\/p>\n<p>Predictions early in 2022 favored the Republican Party taking a decisive congressional majority. Democrats retook momentum as social issues favoring them surged to prominence in the spring. The most notable was the Supreme Court\u2019s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to an abortion for almost half a century.<\/p>\n<p>The issue galvanized many women, part of the Democratic base, and gave Democratic candidates something to rail at and rally around.<\/p>\n<p>So what happened?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4444025\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/05\/03\/IMG_0399-sb-1200x900.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy wp-image-4444025 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/IMG_0399-sb-600x450-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4444025 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/IMG_0399-sb-600x450-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> The Supreme Court\u2019s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade sparked protests that Democrats hoped would help them in the upcoming elections. Here, Kate Hoeting, a member of Catholics for Choice, a nonprofit organization that advocates for abortion rights, protests the court ruling outside of the Supreme Court building on May 3, 2022. (Emel Akan\/The Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe Dobbs decision is starting to play itself out. It\u2019s a case of peaking too early,\u201d said Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTypically midterm elections are referendums on the president and the president\u2019s party, and when you have daily reminders at the gas pumps and grocery store, it\u2019s hard to overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Favoring abortion is, to some extent, already baked into both parties, he said.<\/p>\n<p>That means the Democrats stood to gain few undecided voters because those who care deeply about abortion rights already vote for them.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4829209\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/10\/29\/Michael-Bitzer-Headshot-1-1200x1169.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy wp-image-4829209\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Michael-Bitzer-Headshot-1-600x585-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"225\" height=\"219\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4829209\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Michael-Bitzer-Headshot-1-600x585-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"225\" height=\"219\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C. (Courtesy of Michael Bitzer.)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe economy has not been improving,\u201d said North Carolina Republican strategist Paul Shumaker. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not about gas prices. It\u2019s about prices at the grocery store.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen gas went down in price, the inflation index did not decrease. It was due to consumer prices in the grocery store. They were more impactful. Everyone doesn\u2019t have to drive, but they have to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The decrease in gas prices led the Biden White House to try to message around that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was \u2026 a diversion,\u201d Shumaker said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow, with grocery prices high and petroleum prices starting to increase going into the election, it\u2019s a perfect storm for Democrats. Their failure to address it with messaging makes them seem even more disconnected on the economic front.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir efforts to use social issues like abortion to fix turnout have failed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Economic issues register as firmly among independents and undecided voters as they do among Republicans, according to Shumaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m usually pessimistic,\u201d he said. \u201cBut right now, I believe there\u2019s a red wave in North Carolina, and it\u2019s a tall red wave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A New York Times\/Siena\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2022\/10\/17\/upshot\/times-siena-poll-likely-voters-crosstabs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">poll<\/a>\u00a0released on Oct. 17 found that 44 percent of voters called the economy or inflation the top issue for them, compared with 36 percent in July. Only 5 percent of likely voters said abortion was their top issue.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/inflation-cpi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inflation<\/a>\u00a0is at 8.3 percent, the\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/united-states\/inflation-cpi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">highest<\/a>\u00a0in 40 years. A 30-year\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/10\/27\/business\/us-mortgage-rates.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">home mortgage<\/a>\u00a0went for 3 percent a year ago; it\u2019s 7 percent now, drastically increasing monthly payments and cutting how much money home buyers can afford to borrow and to pay for a house.<\/p>\n<p>Pending home sales\u2014those under contract but not having closed yet\u2014have\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/money\/realestate\/decline-in-us-pending-home-sales-gathers-steam-in-september\/ar-AA13tYuD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fallen<\/a>\u00a0nearly every month for the past year, often by double-digit percentages.<\/p>\n<p>As of August, egg\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/advisor\/personal-finance\/why-are-food-prices-still-rising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prices<\/a>\u00a0were up by 39.8 percent from a year earlier. Breakfast cereal rose by 16.4 percent, milk by 17 percent, butter by 24.6 percent, coffee by 17.6 percent, and potatoes by 15.2 percent.<\/p>\n<p>The nation\u2019s trucks run on diesel fuel, and the federal government reported that the country had only 25 days\u2019 worth of diesel reserves as of Oct. 14. A\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/politics\/fuel-company-issues-diesel-shortage-warning-says-conditions-rapidly-devolving\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shortage<\/a>\u00a0already looms in the southeast.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4599259\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/07\/14\/Port-trucks_JF_07132022-1200x771.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy wp-image-4599259 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Port-trucks_JF_07132022-600x386-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"600\" height=\"386\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4599259 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Port-trucks_JF_07132022-600x386-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"600\" height=\"386\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> A looming diesel shortage may add to the nation\u2019s economic and supply-chain woes. Here, trucks wait for shipping containers at the Port of Long Beach, Calif., on July 13, 2022. (John Fredricks\/The Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<p>Republican strategist Adam Goodman described to The Epoch Times the political impact the Dobbs decision had.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuddenly, the Democrats who were down and out had something to cheer about. It changed the prognostications from a huge [Republican] tsunami to a takeover by maybe only 15 seats and the Senate wouldn\u2019t turn, and Biden would survive it all,\u201d Goodman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow the Dobbs decision has faded in memory, and we\u2019re back to the economy and, I would argue, crime\u201d also favoring the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>But with rising crime rates in New York paired with controversial cashless bail policies there, it has swayed at least one high-profile race: that for New York governor between incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul and Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4817475\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/10\/24\/Zeldin-Hochul-2-1200x675.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-medium wp-image-4817475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Zeldin-Hochul-2-600x338-1.jpg\" alt=\"Zeldin Hochul\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4817475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Zeldin-Hochul-2-600x338-1.jpg\" alt=\"Zeldin Hochul\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> (Left) New York Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) speaks during a press conference at the entrance to the Rikers Island jail in New York on Oct. 24, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images); (Right) New York State Governor Kathy Hochul speaks onstage during The 2022 Concordia Annual Summit-Day 2 at Sheraton New York on Sept. 20, 2022. (John Lamparski\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>In their only scheduled debate on Oct. 25, Zeldin pressed Hochul repeatedly about crime.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know why that\u2019s so important to you,\u201d Hochul finally\u00a0<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=frmo35qSD2o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">responded<\/a>\u00a0in what could prove to be a defining moment in that campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Goodman said, \u201cIt was inconceivable a month ago that the incumbent governor would have a challenge from Zeldin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hochul had previously polled ahead of Zeldin by as many as 20 points.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow the chatter is that Zeldin has a shot at doing a Pataki, coming from nowhere to beat a sitting incumbent,\u201d Goodman said.<\/p>\n<p>He referred to former New York Gov. George Pataki, a Republican first elected in an upset victory over three-term incumbent Mario Cuomo in 1994. Pataki was an obscure state legislator without much name recognition across the state, and Cuomo led by 10 points two weeks before the election.<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-dan-m-berger\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/5a3e45188d71981ac0bdb8d0.jpg\" alt=\"Dan M. Berger\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recent polls show an increased likelihood of a \u201cred wave\u201d election, likely tied to voters settling on key issues favoring Republicans: the economy and inflation.Republican candidates have relentlessly tied both<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1720354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1720955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1720955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1720955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1720955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1720354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1720955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1720955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1720955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}