Republican lawmakers are in the final phase of their midterm campaign, and many are worried that voters will retaliate at the ballot box for the party's failure to do enough to alleviate cost-of-living pressures — even after Republicans passed a major tax measure last year.

The stakes are structural: midterm elections fall at the midpoint of a presidential term, determine the makeup of the next Congress, and have historically tended to go against the party holding the White House, with every House seat and roughly one-third of the Senate on the ballot this year. That gives the affordability debate a direct bearing on which party controls the legislative agenda in Washington.

As GOP members of the Senate leave Washington and return to their home states to campaign, several of them told Semafor that affordability remains the top issue constituents raise with them.

“If you're not worried, you're living in a cave,” Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., told the outlet, pointing to voters who are still struggling financially. Justice also warned that economic frustration could keep some Republican voters home rather than drive them toward Democrats. Warnings of that kind carry extra weight in midterm years, when turnout is typically lower and outcomes often hinge on which party's most reliable voters show up.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska offered an equally blunt assessment of her party's record.

“If we had done enough, our constituents wouldn't be continuing to raise it, and it wouldn't be the No. 1 thing that everyone's campaign is talking about,” Murkowski said.

Last year, Republicans enacted a broad tax law that extended previous tax cuts and introduced new exemptions for overtime pay, wages earned as tips, and some interest on car loans. Tax changes of that kind reach household budgets through take-home pay, while fuel, grocery, and borrowing costs reflect broader economic conditions. But a number of lawmakers say those measures have not delivered enough relief for voters grappling with high fuel prices, inflation, and elevated borrowing costs.

Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio said voters “always want us to do all we can to make their lives more affordable and that's exactly what we should do.”

The political anxiety comes as Republicans fight to hold on to their congressional majorities, and as several Senate races have become more closely contested. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a Republican, said “the national mood is not good for us,” arguing that overseas conflicts are unlikely to affect voters as much as their own household finances.

“Foreign wars don't typically motivate people to want to go vote,” Cornyn said. “And kitchen table issues do.”

Public data underscores the concern. The Conference Board reported that consumer confidence dropped in September to its lowest point since 2014, with high oil and gasoline prices outweighing positive economic indicators. The gauge, drawn from a monthly survey of U.S. households on business conditions, employment, and short-term expectations, is closely watched because household spending accounts for the largest share of American economic activity.

President Donald Trump has also acknowledged the difficulty of selling economic record. “I've done a very bad job of explaining how good the country is doing,” Trump said Wednesday.

Some Republicans argue the party inherited the problem from former President Joe Biden. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas said voters realize “that we inherited a house that was on fire,” while asserting that Republicans are working to bring down the prices of gas and groceries.

Some in the party believe the economy is starting to improve. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida told Semafor that conditions are expected to keep getting better.

But with affordability still dominating campaign conversations, the disagreement inside the party increasingly centers on a single question: whether voters will feel enough improvement before they cast their ballots in November. The remaining campaign calendar offers regular markers, including the Conference Board's monthly confidence updates, and whether the internal debate produces further affordability proposals when lawmakers return to Washington remains an open question.

Source: Alternet, based on reporting by Semafor.