Republicans are facing growing political pressure ahead of the November midterm elections as voters increasingly blame President Donald Trump and his party for persistent cost-of-living pressures, threatening what has traditionally been one of the GOP’s strongest electoral advantages, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Republican strategists and pollsters told the newspaper that concerns over household expenses are becoming increasingly specific, with voters paying close attention to electricity bills, healthcare costs, groceriesو and other everyday necessities.

Mitchell Brown, a Republican pollster conducting focus groups in battleground states, said voters are now acutely aware of what they are paying.

“They know exactly, to the dollar, the amount of their power bill,” he said.

The trend has raised concerns that some voters who backed Trump in 2024 on expectations that he would lower living costs could either abstain or shift away from Republicans in November.

“The set of events that would need to happen to produce a real change in the Republican Party’s fortune is pretty big,” Vanderbilt University political scientist John Sides said.

Slowing growth and persistent inflation

While the US economy has avoided a sharp downturn, growth has slowed and inflation remains elevated. Gross domestic product expanded at an annualized 1.9% over the six quarters through June, compared with 2.4% during former President Joe Biden’s final year.

Unemployment stood at 4.1% in July, only slightly above its January 2025 level, although job growth has weakened.

Inflation, meanwhile, reached 3.5% in June compared with a year earlier, up from 3% in January 2025. Average hourly earnings rose at the same 3.5% pace, effectively limiting real wage gains.

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