The economy has always been the dominant issue in the midterms, but the trend recently has been that it’s becoming even more dominant. This is what the new Wall Street Journal poll finds:
The shift in preference for the GOP comes as views of the economy have turned more dour than at any point in the past year. Only 19% say the economy is headed in the right direction, down 11 percentage points from August, while 71% say the economy is on the wrong track. . . .
In other signs of concern about the economy, 64% of poll respondents said that inflation is rising and straining their finances, including 36% who described those strains as major. Both figures are the highest in The Journal’s polling this year. Only 27% of respondents rate the economy as excellent or good, down from 35% in August.
Plus, the poll finds a big move among suburban women:
The GOP has seen a shift in its favor among several voter groups, including Latino voters and women, and particularly white suburban women. That group, which the pollsters said makes up 20% of the electorate, shifted 26 percentage points away from Democrats since the Journal’s August poll and now favors the GOP by 15 percentage points.