ARLINGTON, VA— In an op-ed published in The Hill, Vice President of External Affairs Katelyn Bledsoe of Americans for Prosperity, warns that despite progress this past year, millions of Americans still do not feel enough relief from the high cost of living. She argues that voters are judging economic policy on everyday essentials like energy, groceries, housing, and utilities, and urges Republicans heading into 2026 to maintain a relentless focus on concrete, immediate solutions to lower costs and deliver relief to families.
To Win in 2026 Midterms, GOP Must Keep Fighting to Lower Cost of Living
by: Katelyn Bledsoe
President Trump and Republicans in Congress deserve real credit for beginning to repair the damage caused by years of economic mismanagement in Washington.
Preventing major tax hikes on working families, expanding domestic energy production, rolling back burdensome regulations, and making it easier to build, hire, and invest in America were important steps toward restoring economic growth and opportunity. After inflation hit a 40-year high under the Biden administration, Republicans helped lay the foundation for a stronger economy rooted in free markets and fiscal restraint.
But years of economic damage and rising costs were never going to be reversed overnight.
Voters are not grading on theory or long-term projections. They are grading on whether life feels affordable right now.
And for millions of Americans, it still does not.
Families continue to struggle with the cost of groceries, housing, childcare, utilities, and everyday essentials. During President Biden’s term, cumulative inflation rose 21.5 percent, costing the average family more than $11,000 annually just to maintain the same standard of living.
Ongoing instability in the Middle East, including tensions involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, has reminded Americans how vulnerable energy prices remain to global disruption. Even temporary spikes in fuel costs ripple through the broader economy, raising transportation, shipping and household costs.
That lingering frustration will define the 2026 midterm elections.
Public polling consistently shows cost-of-living remains among voters’ top concerns, and at Americans for Prosperity, internal polling in some select battleground states and conversations with more than 1 million voters reveal a troubling warning sign for Republicans: many voters now trust Democrats more on the economy and inflation. For Republicans, that should be a wake-up call.
It is tempting for Republicans to remind voters what happened when Democrats controlled government: A $5 trillion spending spree led by Biden, then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that propelled inflation to levels not seen since the Carter-era economy, driving prices higher and eroding wages for working families.
But many independents and swing voters are no longer looking backward. They are asking a forward-looking question: Who has a plan to lower my cost of living now?
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Katelyn Bledsoe is vice president of external affairs at Americans for Prosperity.
Read the entire article here.
Through broad-based grassroots outreach, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is driving long-term solutions to the country’s biggest problems. AFP activists engage friends and neighbors on key issues and encourage them to take an active role in building a culture of mutual benefit, where people succeed by helping one another. AFP recruits and unites activists in all 50 states behind a common goal of advancing policies that will help people improve their lives. For more information, visit www.AmericansForProsperity.org
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