With rising inflation expected to be a key issue in November's midterm elections, Democrats could face a strong challenge in swing states such as Arizona.
The Phoenix metropolitan area has seen the biggest inflation surge in the country since President Joe Biden took office, The Wall Street Journal reports. That's among the nation's 21 largest metropolitan areas, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show.
The Phoenix area's Consumer Price Index rose 10.9% from February 2021 through February 2022, the most recent month available.
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania estimated that last year's inflation nationwide required the average household to spend around $3,500 more to achieve the same level of consumption of goods and services as in 2019 or 2020.
"There must be some reason for why it’s happening with this administration and not the last one," Jillian Birnbaum, a 37-year-old Scottsdale nurse and mother of two, told WSJ. "[The government is] giving out money like it’s growing on trees."
With the nationwide inflation rate at 7.9%, Birnbaum, a politically independent voter, told the Journal she was leaning toward voting Republican in this fall's midterm elections.
Birnbaum's McCormick Ranch neighborhood is part of a battleground state that will help determine whether Republicans can gain power in November.
The Journal, which interviewed residents and local business owners in the Scottsdale neighborhood, said patience for higher inflation could reach "a breaking point" by November if prices remain high or escalate further.
The Journal said the southern half of McCormick Ranch largely is comprised of middle-class and upper-middle-class families, and retirees on fixed incomes vulnerable to inflation — voters both major parties will eye as they battle for an open governor’s seat and a U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
The media outlet cited three examples of Scottsdale’s escalating prices:
- A cheeseburger at the Vig restaurant costs $19, up four dollars during the past two years.
- Gas at the Shell station was hovering close to $5.
- Prestige Cleaners said the price of metal clothes hangers was up 42% from a year ago — a cost passed on to consumers.
"I blame the Biden administration," Vanessa Weeks, a 54-year-old interior designer told WSJ. "There is no other way to look at it."
The media outlet said the Atlanta area, at 10.6%, came in a close second to Phoenix for inflation during this 12-month period. There also will be key Senate race there in the fall.
The metros of Miami and Tampa, in the swing state of Florida, ranked third and fourth, respectively.
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