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Democrats won historic electoral victories Tuesday night on a pledge to make life more affordable for Americans, an issue that united voters across political and demographic divides.Now comes the hard part.An overwhelming majority of midterm voters had a negative view of the economy, with more than 80% saying they were worried about the price of necessities like gas, groceries and healthcare, according to the NBC News Exit Poll.
In a reversal from 2024, voters this year said they trusted Democrats on the economy more than they trusted Republicans.The stunning electoral results on Tuesday night were the culmination of a monthslong effort by Democrats to make the high cost of living a central campaign issue in races across the country up and down the ballot.From Kansas to South Carolina to Maine, Democratic candidates uniformly seized on and stuck to the topic of inflation, while Republicans sought to redirect voters’ attention to fears of socialism and crime, often laced with Islamophobia.
In the hours after NBC News projected they would capture full control of Congress on Tuesday night, Democrats continued to hammer their affordability message.In January, Democratic Rep.Hakeem Jeffries of New York is expected to take up the gavel as the first non-white Speaker of the House.
Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty“We are laser-focused on addressing the affordability crisis that has been crushing everyday Americans,” House Democratic leader Rep.Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Wednesday morning on NBC’s “TODAY” show.But tackling affordability in Congress is easier said than done.How it could actually happenWhen Democrats take control of both the House and Senate in January, they have a decent chance of passing legislation that could limit Trump’s tariff authorities, or make it more difficult for him to continue to wage war in Iran.
They have also discussed legislation to reinstate Republican cuts to healthcare funding.Any one of these actions, if fully ex...