As grocery bills continue to climb, many Americans are feeling the pinch in their wallets. Gina Svoboda, a resident of rural Luzerne County, notices this stark change during her regular shopping trips.
“Things are so expensive,” she shared. “Basically, my grocery order is the same as it has been for the last 30 years. So, in let’s say 2005, my grocery order was $35. This same grocery order is about $150 today. How could people live on that?”
At 57, Svoboda, a veteran and a Democrat, ranks economic concerns as her top priority. She was among the 207 participants in WVIA’s recent survey of voters’ critical issues, which informed a Keystone Edition program on the imminent election, airing on WVIA-TV.
WVIA News voter issue survey
The survey, though informal, reflected trends seen in broader state and national polls. Most respondents, aged 60 to 78, identified as Democrats, and they highlighted multiple pressing issues, including health care (78.3%), cost of living/inflation (77.3%), environment (70.5%), data centers (69.6%), and the economy (68.6%).
Pa. voters’ top issues
According to the Franklin & Marshall College poll, 31% of Pennsylvanians identify economic issues as the state’s biggest challenge. Economic concerns have long shaped elections, influencing outcomes like President Donald Trump’s 2024 victory, spurred by high inflation during Joe Biden’s presidency.
“If you’re going into an election year and you want to guess what the top issue is going to be, the economy is a safe start,” said Democratic consultant Brittany Crampsie on WVIA’s Keystone Edition. “People are going to vote with their pocketbooks. These are the things that are top of their minds.”
While issues like abortion have gained traction following the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2022, Crampsie remains convinced that economic concerns will dominate voters’ thoughts.
Republican consultant Chris Nicholas concurs, noting, “Two years ago it was the economy, but a different subset. No one now is talking about jobs or unemployment because we’re at pretty much full employment,” he said. “We are talking about costs, okay? And one of the reasons people see their costs going up is they don’t buy dishwashers every week, right? So, I couldn’t tell you what the price of a dishwasher was, but we’ve all filled up our car in the last week, and we’ve all gone to the grocery store … So you see these costs going up incrementally every time you do your gas and your groceries, and that becomes top of mind.”
Hot congressional races in WVIA’s backyard
In the 8th Congressional District race, candidates are emphasizing economic topics. U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, the Republican contender, urged an end to the Iran conflict, citing its effect on gas prices. “I feel for my grandmother who called me last week and she said, ‘look at these gas prices,’” Bresnahan commented.
Democratic nominee Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti criticized the lack of clarity on the war causes. She noted, “We see the gas prices are $4.49 or above. We see diesel over $7. I’ve visited multiple farms just in the last couple of weeks.”
In the 9th Congressional District, incumbent Dan Meuser and challenger Rachel Wallace are also addressing economic concerns. Meuser’s campaign emphasizes reducing taxes and regulations, while Wallace focuses on lowering health care costs and supporting farmers.
KFF’s poll of rural voters, a Trump stronghold
Research by KFF and the Associated Press surveyed 2,241 rural voters, revealing that half believe the economy is deteriorating. Their main concerns are the costs of groceries, gas, and health care.
Alex Montero from KFF noted, “Many of these rural voters are experiencing worsening financial hardships … These dynamics have led to some of these voters, including Republicans, feeling disaffected with Trump and the Republican Party.”
Voters in their own words
While Svoboda cherishes the natural beauty of Northeastern Pennsylvania, she is worried about potential environmental impacts from data centers.
Mary Ann Paulukonis, 81, from Lackawanna County, identifies as a Republican but has reconsidered her voting habits in recent years. “More and more in the last decade or two, certainly the last decade, I have tended away from voting Republican. It used to be if I didn’t know a candidate or didn’t know either candidate well or couldn’t decide between their policies, I’d just automatically vote for the Republican,” she said.
Al Sever, an Independent from Lycoming County, prioritizes travel in his spending but faces rising flight costs. “Where I spend my money is mostly on travel, and yeah, flights are going really high again. In fact, they’re projecting as of yesterday to expect flights to increase by 60% by the spring because of what’s going on in the Middle East,” Sever noted.
