Two new surveys out early Wednesday are putting candidates on notice that the biggest concerns of voters as Election Day nears are the sky-high debt from government spending and the economy.
In a Peter G. Peterson Foundation battleground poll, supporters of both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris said that they will put debt at the top of their list when considering how to vote.
“More than 9-in-10 voters across seven key states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — say it’s important for candidates to have a plan for the debt, including 95% of Harris voters, 97% of Trump voters and 95% of undecided voters,” said the Peterson analysis shared with Secrets.
$35,682,617,798,771.80 (+) #NationalDebt
— National Debt Tweets (@NationalDebt) October 8, 2024
And Gallup said that voter concern about the economy is the highest since the 2008 election when Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) beat the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in a race fought over the impact of the “great recession” of that year.
“Besides the economy, no other issue receives an ‘extremely important’ rating from most voters,” said the Gallup analysis.
While Harris has promised a new but poorly defined “opportunity economy,” and Trump has promised to return his package of tax and regulation cuts, neither has focused on their economic agenda in a way both polls suggest voters want.
Trump has consistently topped Harris on who voters believe will be a better economic president. But many polls also show the two candidates tied, suggesting that other issues are also at play.
Still, the economy and debt remain the issues that voters put first on their decision list.
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Michael Peterson, CEO of the nonpartisan Peterson Foundation, said, “Not only do these key voters overwhelmingly want to hear candidates put forward a plan, they connect America’s fiscal outlook to key economic priorities, including reducing inflation, lowering interest rates, and protecting programs like Medicare and Social Security. With just a month until Election Day, it’s clear that the candidates should communicate their plans to address America’s $35 trillion and growing national debt.”
Gallup said, “While the economy often ranks as one of the top voting issues in presidential elections, this year it may be more influential than in any election since 2008 during the Great Recession.”