Democrats tap anxiety over Trump’s economy in victories that signal midterm strategy
Energy prices in New Jersey. Workforce cuts in Virginia. Sky-high rents in New York City.
Economic issues were a driving factor in Tuesday's off-year 2025 elections, putting persistently high consumer costs under President Donald Trump's administration in the spotlight and sounding alarm bells for the GOP as Democrats leveraged Americans' anxiety into a wave of victories that they hope will be a springboard toward the 2026 midterms .
The economy, often the decisive issue in any election, was the focus for both moderate Democrats running for governor in New Jersey and Virginia and the liberal candidate running in the New York City mayoral contest . All won convincing victories, as polling indicates voters are uneasy about Trump's economic stewardship amid trade wars, a sluggish job market and ongoing cost-of-living concerns.
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"Democratic candidates, no matter where they are, no matter how they fit into our big tent party, are meeting voters at the kitchen table, not the gilded ballroom," Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in statement after the election, adding: "Democrats ran campaigns relentlessly focused on costs and affordability."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in an MSNBC interview that affordability was "the connective tissue" running through Democratic campaigns around the country.
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Trump, in an appearance at a Miami business forum on the day after the GOP's election night drubbing, defended his economic record and said Republicans need to talk more about the economy's bright spots.
“We have the greatest economy right now, a lot of people don’t see that," the president said.
Many Republicans were quick to dismiss the election results, arguing they came in heavily Democratic states and cities were Democrats were supposed to win, even as the large margins of victory surpassed expectations. Yet some - including top members of the Trump administration - also conceded that the party must do more to address affordability concerns.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair said in a Politico interview that the GOP candidate in New Jersey didn't "address those key issues of affordability very effectively."
"We need to focus on the home front," Vice President JD Vane wrote on social media.
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Vance touted the president's economic agenda, while also arguing the administration "inherited a disaster" from former President Joe Biden and "Rome wasn't built in a day."
"We're going to keep on working to make a decent life affordable in this country, and that's the metric by which we'll ultimately be judged in 2026 and beyond," Vance said.
The vice president's nod to the 2026 midterm elections signaled how economic questions could dominate the race for control of Congress, and with it the fate of Trump's second-term agenda heading into the 2028 presidential campaign .
Economic uncertainty
Trump ran in 2024 on a promise to bring down consumer costs after high inflation during the Biden presidency.
The president has claimed victory, declaring inflation is no longer a concern.
Yet inflation, while much lower than the 40-year high in 2022 , has risen in recent months and is higher than it was when Trump used the issue to help him win every swing state and the popular vote.
Inflation hit 3% in September , which is relatively modest but above the Federal Reserve's target rate of 2% and above the 2.7% in November 2024 . Rising prices have combined with concerns about slow hiring and other economic factors to leave many Americans uneasy about the economy. More than 7 in 10 U.S. adults rate current economic conditions as either "poor" or "very poor," and 61% say Trump's policies have worsened the economy, according to a CNN/SSRS survey released this week.
Economists say Trump's steep tariffs on many nations are contributing to the rise in consumer prices.
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“Tariffs are still pushing up goods prices and the passthrough is broadening," Michael Pearce, deputy chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics said in an Oct. 24 note.
Trump's move to slash federal agencies and a record-long government shutdown also have rippled through the economy, particularly in Virginia, which has a high number of federal workers.
Democrats tap into concerns about high costs
Trump offered a rosy view of the economy in Miami, declaring it the "golden age of America."
He talked about the boom in artificial intelligence investment that has helped drive stock market growth, his administration's support for cryptocurrencies, and overall economic growth. Gross Domestic Product grew by 3% in the second quarter of 2025, beating economic forecasts.
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Yet there "appears be this disconnect" between broad measures of the economy, which are "OK to fine," and "people's experience of inflation and the housing market," said Randolph-Macon College political science professor Rich Meagher.
In Virginia, Democratic candidate for governor Abigail Spanberger portrayed Trump "as a threat to the economy" and the argument "clearly resonated with voters," Meagher said.
Spanberger declared in her election night speech that voters "chose leadership that will focus relentlessly on what matters most: Lowering costs, keeping our communities safe and strengthening our economy for every Virginian."
New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, ran on a similar message, with a special focus on high energy prices in New Jersey. Blair, the White House deputy chief of staff, noted that most of her ads were positive, and "overwhelmingly talking about cost of living."
Blair also attributed Mamdani's success in New York City to the fact that "he relentlessly focused on affordability."
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is proposing aggressive government intervention to alleviate cost concerns, including freezing rent in rent-stabilized apartments, making city buses free and creating city-owned grocery stores.
Republicans have seized on Mamdani's agenda to portray Democrats as extreme. The moderate group Third Way argued in a post-election memo that such proposals are "politically toxic outside the deep blue confines of New York City."
Jockeying around the affordability issue will heat up as the focus turns to the midterm election.
"I think you'll see the president talk a lot about cost of living as we turn the year and into the new year," Blair said. "The president is very keyed in to what's going on."
Contributing: Kathryn Palmer, Rachel Barber
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats target affordability concerns under Trump in election wins
