WASHINGTON (TNND) — One week before Election Day, candidates nationwide are putting the economy front and center in their closing arguments to undecided voters. Democrats and Republicans, along with President Donald Trump, are pitching two different economic futures.
In his final midterms campaign blitz that’s focused almost entirely on states that have historically sent Republicans to Washington, Trump doubled down on his tariff policies, crediting them for foreign investments like a new Audi plant in Georgia, which the company said is slated to start production in the early 2030s. At a rally Monday for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Trump pushed back on criticism that his economic agenda has accelerated inflation.
“Because of tariffs – and the tariffs are so great, they’re making our country so rich – you know, the left loves to criticize tariffs, you know what they’re doing? They’re keeping our companies here. They’re not leaving and they’re bringing everybody back because you don’t have any tariffs if you build your plant in Mississippi or in the United States. They don’t understand that.” Trump said.
Some Republican candidates in tight races have distanced themselves from Trump’s economic agenda as Americans continue to give him low marks: A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found 20% approved of the president’s handling of the cost of living and 25% approved of his overall handling of the economy.
During an event Monday, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who is in a competitive race against Democratic challenger Cait Conley, tried to distance himself from Trump’s trade platform.
“The use of tariffs to force trade renegotiation as a short-term tool, I’ve not had a problem with. Long-term use of tariffs, I don’t support. I’ve said the president’s volatility within tariffs is wrong. But what we have seen for instance, is trillions of dollars of new investment into the United States,” Lawler said.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is polling slightly ahead of her Democratic opponent Josh Turek but is still within the margin of error. She previously supported the Iran war, but now, citing its economic impact, says it should wrap up.
“I do think the war needs to come to an end. I’ve heard from Iowans who are being squeezed by the gas prices and the challenges we’re facing here at home because of what’s happening there,” Hinson told ABC News.
Democrats, meanwhile, are on the offensive.
“Do y’all remember how it feels to win?” incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., asked a crowd of cheering supporters at a recent event with former Transportation Secretary and potential 2028 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
Ossoff, who’s focused his campaign against Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., on the cost of living and fighting corruption, has maintained a consistent lead in every major poll since June, according to RealClearPolitics.
In Michigan and Texas, Democratic newcomers to the national stage Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico have also tapped into voters’ frustrations about the cost of living after Trump and Republicans in 2024 pledged to make life more affordable. Polls in both states reflect extremely close races.
“In the richest, most powerful country in the history of the world, it shouldn’t be this hard to afford a second bag of groceries, shouldn’t be this hard to fill up your tank, shouldn’t be this hard to pay your rent or your mortgage, shouldn’t be this hard to see a doctor. It shouldn’t be this hard to pay your taxes and know that that money is going to be spent on you and your kids instead of dropping bombs on somebody else and their kids,” El-Sayed said at a Detroit rally last week with former President Barack Obama.
In recent months, Trump has acknowledged the historical trend of a president’s party losing seats in Congress during midterm elections. On his way to Texas on Tuesday to campaign for Talarico’s Republican opponent Ken Paxton, Trump was asked by a reporter how he intended to work with Democrats if they win control of the House or Senate.
“We’ll figure a way,” Trump said. “Look, I have a strong veto. I hope that that won’t be the case, but if it is, that’s happened before with many presidents, and you have strong veto and you end up working out deals.”
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