Voters in a boomerang county are nostalgic for the Trump economy
Rejoinder for the Trump Economy and the Future of the United States (with an Appendix by E. C. Luis and N. D. Escarraman)
Luis says that he’s nostalgic for the Trump economy. The 41-year-old Republican hauls freight from New Jersey to California and owns his own truck. Maintenance, parts, diesel fuel — it has all become so pricey, he said.
He is not the only one. Poll after poll shows that voters prefer the Republican candidate for governor to the incumbent, President Biden. It’s an important factor as voters look ahead to Election Day in November — but it’s far from the only one.
Escarraman said he is weighing a variety of factors in whom he supports politically. He is worried about the increase in migration and the amount of money the U.S. government spends on conflicts overseas.
But he also remembers that life under former President Donald Trump was at times alarming. “I know it was a lot of fights in the country,” he said. “It was kind of like a civil war, but financially, it was better.”
Boundary Economy of Northampton County: Voters in a Boomerang County Say They’re Nomadic for the Trump Economy
Back in 2021, voters in this county and across the nation were concerned about prices for gas, groceries, rent and insurance. Democrats did better in the midterm races than were expected, for example in Northampton County, where Susan Wild held her seat.
Northampton is one of only 25 “boomerang” counties in the U.S., meaning people there voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, then opted for Trump in 2016 and then most recently in 2020 chose Joe Biden.
Last week in Northampton County, most of those NPR spoke with didn’t seem to feel good about the economy, regardless of their politics.
“When Trump was in office, it was sad, but my 401(k) was just going up and up and up. “I was very happy to watch it,” said Ruthann Arris, who is a Democrat.
In the first three years of Trump’s Presidency, the S&P 500 index rose over 50%. Comparatively, during Biden’s first three years in office, the S&P 500 index rose 26%.
Source: Voters in this ‘boomerang’ county say they’re nostalgic for the Trump economy
How important is the message that President Biden is using the economy/immigration/border security issue?” a comment by Poff, a Republican
She said she would still vote for Biden. “I think he comes across as much better than the alternative,” she said. “You have a more stable USA. It is not worth the long-term success of a 401(k) going up.
A survey done by NBC News shows that voters gave Trump a double digit advantage on the issue of inflation. But when it came to identifying an issue that is “so important that you would vote for or against a candidate solely on that basis,” voters pointed to democracy, abortion or immigration/border security, depending on their politics.
“People want to complain about the economy and everything like that,” said Greg Poff, 49, a Republican who said he is concerned about border security. If you can keep people from coming into the country and then get people that aren’t supposed to be there out, everything will fall into place.
Biden has made the economy a central part of his message on the campaign trail, pointing to the strong jobs market and the growth in the infrastructure and semiconductor sectors thanks to legislation he has signed.
The president has a message that he is trying to send, but it is not breaking through since many people still use pre-pandemic prices as their benchmark.
I think it’s hard because people don’t like paying more for things. And until that adjusts for everyone in their minds, it’s going to be hard to convince people perhaps otherwise,” said Julie Smith, an economist at Lafayette College in Northampton County.
