All the talk has been Kamala Harris and her big campaign launch. The honeymoon was bound to happen.
But Donald Trump has a silver bullet that he is about to fire and end the Harris campaign.
Some people still don’t understand that fundraising enthusiasm does not mean you’re going to run a successful campaign when the rubber hits the road and it’s time for voters to cast their ballots in a primary election or a general election. Astonishingly, this lesson seems to be harder to learn for political “experts” than ever before despite the countless examples of shoestring budget campaigns taking down a Goliath.
Kamala Harris has, no doubt, had an influx of fundraising to launch her campaign. They are on short time and they’re doing everything they can to play catch up since Sleepy Joe was asleep at the wheel during his campaign until he suspended it in late July. The reality is that in 2016, Hillary Clinton raised about twice as much as Donald Trump’s campaign ever did and he still won.
What really matters is how the candidates are received by the people. What do voters think about the candidates. On that front, Kamala Harris has a real problem since she is tied to a Biden-Harris administration that is viewed extremely poorly. There’s one issue that Donald Trump can use as a silver bullet in this race, but he has to play it well.
Midwesterners Struggle with Rising Housing Costs Under Biden Administration
Swing Midwestern voters are expressing frustration over soaring housing rates and the cost of living under President Joe Biden’s administration. Many residents recall a time when their money stretched further during the presidency of Donald Trump, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Residents of the Milwaukee area, who once viewed their swing state as an affordable place to live, are now grappling with skyrocketing costs. Vice President Kamala Harris, seen as a potential fresh face on the ticket, is largely expected to continue Biden’s economic policies, according to a Harvard/Harris poll from July 30.
“My dollar went further when Trump was president,” said Dawn Horne, a 39-year-old small business owner and mother of five, to the WSJ. “I don’t know what to expect from Kamala.”
Kayla Lange, 24, echoed this sentiment, telling the WSJ, “I always thought we were a more reasonable place to live. It’s gotten out of control, and I blame the people in charge.”
Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED) shows that the average cost of homes increased from $371,000 in 2020 to over $500,000 in 2024. Similarly, the price of everyday necessities like gas has risen dramatically, with averages climbing from $1.88 per gallon in April 2020 to $3.60 in June 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Wisconsin saw an 8% increase in median home sale prices over the past year, marking the largest housing price jump among the seven battleground states and double the U.S. average, as reported by the WSJ.
House prices have soared almost everywhere!
According to @AEI data, house prices have doubled in Milwaukee since 2012.
They have more than tripled in Reno or Phoenix – in other swing states. https://t.co/HFD08aOJM4 pic.twitter.com/oiHf24UZpB— Tobias Peter (@TobiasPeterAEI) August 2, 2024
“People are voting based on their sense of how they’re doing financially, and the degree to which they feel like they have opportunity in their lives is closely linked to their housing,” David Dworkin, president of the National Housing Conference, told the WSJ.
Despite Biden passing the torch to presumptive nominee Harris, 67% of voters believe her presidency would be a continuation of the current administration, according to the latest Harvard/Harris poll. Only a third of voters think she will actually change direction on issues like taxes, inflation, immigration, and energy.
John Johnson, a research fellow at Marquette University Law School, shared his perspective with the WSJ: “A few years ago, it was really realistic to afford to buy something while making $50,000. Not anymore.”
Nahona Moore, a 28-year-old lifelong Democrat, told the outlet, “When Trump was still president, if we were making what we make now, we would be set.”
The Pew Charitable Trusts estimated a shortage of four to seven million homes as of November 2023, with Zillow noting an increase of 200,000 in this shortage from 2021 to 2022.
“We got frustrated with the situation and having to spend so much time and not finding what we were looking for,” said Fernanda Speranza, a 48-year-old customer service worker, to the WSJ. “It should not be this hard when we have two good incomes.”
The Conservative Column will keep you updated on any 2024 election swing state news.
