Grocery bills, rent, and prescription costs haven't come down for most working families — and the political class is starting to sweat it. According to RealClearPolitics, a stagnant economy and cost-of-living crisis are shaping up as the defining threat to Republican margins heading into 2026.
The pattern is familiar: corporations post record profits while real wages stay flat. The S&P 500 hit all-time highs in 2024 even as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that real median weekly earnings for full-time workers were essentially unchanged year-over-year.
Main Street doesn't need a think-tank report to know the score. When the boardroom is winning and the checkout line still hurts, voters remember — and they hold whoever's in charge accountable, regardless of party.