By John McCormick | Wall Street Journal
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—This year, with Democrats seeking to defend a narrow Washington majority, will see the first national election since Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980 where inflation will be a major issue.
Its prominence is clear in the southern half of Scottsdale’s McCormick Ranch neighborhood in the Phoenix metropolitan area, which has seen the biggest inflation surge in the U.S. since President Biden took office. Nationwide, the inflation rate is 7.9%.
Jillian Birnbaum, a 37-year-old nurse and mother of two, says she is frustrated by the rising cost of groceries and diapers in her suburban neighborhood. It is one reason the politically independent voter says she is leaning toward Republicans in this fall’s midterm elections.
