Housing is the single biggest item eating most Americans’ paychecks every month. It’s time Democrats made it a centerpiece of their agenda.
by Abdul El-Sayed, The New Republic
Over the summer, Democratic legislative successes coupled with dropping gas prices worked to drive attention away from the precarity of the economy. Meanwhile, rage continued to seethe at the Supreme Court’s abrogation of reproductive rights. Signs were pointing in the right direction for Democrats heading into the fall midterms.
But polls are tightening in critical swing elections. A recent Siena/New York Times poll found a massive swing toward Republicans among independent women. And it all goes back to inflation—which was, along with “the economy,” rated the most important issue facing the country. Last week’s consumer price index showed just how stubborn inflation can be, sustaining at 8.0 percent year on year.

But when voters name inflation as their top political issue, it would be absurd to assume they’re talking about the economic phenomenon by which currency loses value because of a mismatch in supply and demand. Rather, they mean the specific way rising prices affect them. And that’s not just one thing—it’s many things depending whom you’re talking to. Beyond addressing inflation itself, the political response to inflation has to address the broadest, deepest manifestations of inflation on American voters. That requires answering a psychological question wrapped around an empirical one. What aspect of “inflation” is the biggest, most common, and most consistent? It isn’t the price of gas. It is—by far—housing.
So as we head into the midterms, Democrats would do well to talk more about housing. After all, median asking rent in America is over $2,000 for the first time in our history—up more than 15 percent since last year. That’s driven, in part, by millions of Americans who’ve been priced out of buying as interest rates skyrocket because of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes. The average size of a new mortgage also set a record: $453,000. Those would-be buyers are being forced into an already overheated rental market.
Recent Posts
Federal Judge Sides With Journalists, Protesters in Chicago Over Violent Tactics of Trump’s Federal Agents
October 11, 2025
Take Action Now “Individuals are allowed to protest,” the judge said. “They are allowed to speak. That is guaranteed by the First Amendment to our…
First Ceasefire, Then Palestinian Liberation
October 10, 2025
Take Action Now Trump’s deal does nothing to address the root cause of injustice: Israel’s brutal military rule and oppression of Palestinians.By…
A Movement-Based Opposition To Trump And MAGA
October 10, 2025
Take Action Now In the absence of adequate resistance in the electoral arena, an alliance of popular movements is functioning as the primary…
‘I’m Terrified I’ll Die’: Bernie Sanders Unveils Report On Healthcare Devastation Looming For American Families
October 9, 2025
Take Action Now The Sanders report concludes by not only vowing to reverse the Republican healthcare cuts, but to “work to end the international…