A Midterm Campaign Dominated by Concerns Over High Prices Nears Its End

Financial concerns have been the most pressing issue for voters in four of the six previous midterm elections of this century. But with the war in Iran and tariffs driving up gas prices, inflation and mortgage rates, the worries feel deeper, more desperate and decidedly center stage in the final days of the hard-fought campaign that will decide control of Congress.

Democrats are hammering President Trump for starting a war with Iran and instituting tariffs that have driven up prices, while Republicans are insisting the fundamentals of the economy are stronger than before they took power two years ago. And polls show that pocketbook issues are once again top of mind for many voters.

If presidential elections are about a vision for the future, midterms give voters a chance to offer their verdict on a president, a Congress and, almost always, the nation’s economic health.

Over dozens of interviews across the country in recent days, Americans from across the political spectrum detailed the financial gymnastics of keeping pace with rent hikes and mounting utility bills, along with rising prices for gas, groceries and even Halloween candy. Many voters directly blamed Mr. Trump and his party for the high cost of living.

“The prices of everything we normally buy have gone up and up dramatically,” said Dwayne Stanford, a father of eight in suburban Cincinnati, who chose only Democratic candidates during early voting in his state. “It’s just the everyday stuff.”