| New reporting from the Philadelphia Inquirer is highlighting how rising prices unleashed by Brian Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry are driving voter backlash in four toss up House races.
The Inquirer speaks with voters from NEPA to Bucks to Harrisburg to the Lehigh Valley who all say the same thing: prices are crushing them and their families, and the policies backed by Fitzpatrick, Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry are to blame.
IN PA-08:
- Ryan Kavulich, a 37-year-old project manager from Dunmore in nearby Lackawanna County [said] … “The war’s a nightmare with what it’s costing for diesel,” […] a Democrat who plans to back Cognetti in November.
- People in the 8th District know that Bresnahan voted against ending the war with Iran in September, Kavulich said.
- “And that makes voting for Paige [Cognetti] in November the easiest choice ever,” he said. “So many people around Scranton have a blue-collar, kitchen-table, commonsense vibe. They know going into Iran isn’t what you do. They know it’s time to be over Bresnahan and Trump.”
- As the cost of fuel continues to climb, even some longtime Republicans in the district are expressing their doubts about the economic consequences of Trump’s war.
- “I voted for Trump three times,” said Greg Kerrick, 58, a Republican voter from Scranton.
- “But I don’t like him pushing up gas prices,” added Kerrick, who is unemployed. “And I feel for anyone paying over $4 a gallon.”
IN PA-07:
- At his local Wawa gas station in Allentown, P.J. Santos, 32, removed his finger from the pump trigger before his tank filled.
- “Now I tell myself to spend less,” said Santos, a Democrat who is supporting former firefighter Bob Brooks over Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in the Lehigh Valley’s 7th Congressional District.
- “So I buy less than I need,” he added, tightening his gas cap. “Same goes for date nights with my wife: Spend less.”
- That is harder when you’re buying food, said Tammy McCoy, 52, of Easton in the same district. “Walk into any grocery store,” said McCoy, a Democrat and professional cook. “It’s like you have to hand them $50 at the door.”
- Trump, she remembered, promised to lower prices on Day 1 of his presidency. Not only did that not happen, she added, he raised tariffs, making imported staples like coffee, nuts, and olive oil more expensive. “Because of that,” McCoy added, “I’m against him and Republicans.”
IN PA-10:
- Tapping into the frustration over food prices, Democrat Janelle Stelson’s campaign is pointing to the cost of hamburgers as she seeks to oust Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in the 10th Congressional District.
- Stelson eats a burger in a TV ad that says Americans now pay $7.29 for a pound of ground beef — a result of tariffs Trump imposed and Perry supported.
IN PA-01:
- The cost of living has become a focal point in the 1st Congressional District race as Fitzpatrick fends off a challenge from Democratic County Commissioner Bob Harvie in the Bucks County-based swing district.
- Pennsylvania Democrats, including Harvie, have centered their campaign messaging on affordability in hopes of appealing to voters across the political spectrum.
- “Costs are what affect people every single day … whether it’s at the pump, whether it’s in the grocery store,” Harvie said in an interview with The Inquirer’s Editorial Board. “Housing costs obviously are huge. It’s a major issue here in this district, especially in the county.”
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