Will the economy motivate voters? This Central Valley swing district could be a test

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred DELANO, Calif. — The rows of candies and nuts at the Guadalajara Meat Market — tamarindo con chile, seasoned pistachios, spicy paletas — sat mostly untouched as customers filtered through this carniceria in the late afternoon heat.“You see a lot of people consuming the minimum, what they need to get by through the week,” said owner Carina Murillo, 31, as she checked out customers on a recent weekday.“Instead of buying six items, they’re buying three items.”While customers bypass extras, like the snacks at the front counter, Murillo’s costs have gone up.

Imported goods from Mexico and Canada have become more difficult to source and sometimes carry tariffs, she said.Transportation fees have risen as diesel prices respond to the war in Iran.

The market’s insurance costs have risen by about a third.All of it has forced Murillo to increase prices.As the area struggles, Murillo, a college graduate who years ago felt motivated enough to door-knock for political causes, is among those who have become disillusioned.

Those in Washington, she said, don’t understand the lives of the working people who keep the country running.There have been “years where I feel completely overpowered to the point where I’m not motivated to take part,” said Murillo, who didn’t vote in 2024 but plans to do so in November.“That’s what happens when you feel discouraged or like nothing’s going to change.”The economic strife plaguing Americans is clear in this rural, majority-Latino Central Valley congressional district, home to the state’s most competitive House race, the closely watched contest between Republican Rep.

David Valadao and Democrat Randy Villegas.Democrats hope the national economic angst will translate into big turnout in the midterm elections, but some in this region worry that y...