Election reflection: 'Democrats flipped the script' on affordability in ballot box showdowns
The economy, the issue that hurt Democrats in the 2024 elections, gave them a major boost in this year's ballot box showdowns.One year after deep concerns over inflation helped Republicans...
By Fox News · Fox News
The economy , the issue that hurt Democrats in the 2024 elections, gave them a major boost in this year's ballot box showdowns. One year after deep concerns over inflation helped Republicans win back the White House and Senate and keep their House majority, Democrats say their convincing double-digit victories in 2025's only two elections for governor came down to affordability, the issue they repeatedly spotlighted on this year's campaign trail. Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper said that Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia , the two Democratic gubernatorial nominees that overperformed the public opinion polls as they cruised to Election Night victories in the blue-leaning states, "stayed laser focused on the economy," and "talked about it all day, every day." The numbers appear to back them up. HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS ELECTION 2025 COVERAGE According to the Fox News Voter Poll conducted Oct. 22 through Election Day, the economy was by far the top issue for Virginia voters — with close to half ranking it as the most important. Those voters broke significantly for Spanberger. And in New Jersey , the economy was the second most pressing issue, following taxes, according to the poll. And Sherrill won those voters by a 30-point margin. CHECK OUT THE FOX NEWS VOTER POLL Pointing to the big wins for Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as in battleground Pennsylvania and left-tilting New York City and California, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said his party's candidates "are meeting voters at the kitchen table... From New Jersey and Virginia and New York, to Georgia and beyond, Democrats ran campaigns relentlessly focused on costs and affordability." Republicans argue that Democrats are overplaying their victories in the 2025 elections. "I think it's idiotic to overreact to a couple of elections in blue states," Vice President JD Vance said in a social media post…