For many voters, the pain of inflation helped drive their choices

Retired nurse Diana Santiago strode into her polling place at Fox Chase Elementary School on Tuesday with one issue on the top of her mind: the economy, and the toll that inflation was taking on people like her.

“When I go to the store, I have to write a list and make sure I know all the prices before I buy,” said Santiago, 65, from Northeast Philadelphia. “Gas is so expensive now. Everything is so expensive now.”

She was inclined to vote for Democrats, she said, believing that party is more likely to try to help everyday people and to curb costs when possible.

The preelection polls said the battering of Americans’ wallets would be crucial to voters on Election Day, and Pennsylvanians from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to President Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton confirmed that — even as they responded in different ways.

“Everything’s just so expensive,” said Denise Hammer, a restaurant server of 41 years who voted for Republicans in perennially purple Bucks County, hoping they would improve the economy and back law enforcement.

Inflation has gone up 8.2% from September 2021 to September 2022, and costs for gasoline and food have risen even more. Many Americans feel financially at risk. Inflation has not just raised prices and lowered purchasing power, but reduced the value of pensions, savings, and some investments.

“The president is doing what he could,” said retired steelworker Helysel Gonzalez, 55, as he voted in Northeast Philadelphia. “You can’t blame him — companies are making big profits. Oil, gas, they make so much money.”

Paul Thelen, a disabled resident of Erie, said he’s being forced to stretch his limited Social Security income further and further. Almost half goes to fill the gas tank in his pickup truck, and the rest for groceries and home repairs for a family of three.

Thelen cast his ballot at the General Teamsters Union Local 397 a few blocks from his home — and voted Republican as always, hoping the party can offer solutions.

As they voted at the Lionville Middle School in Exton, Chester County, Rob and Penny — they declined to provide their surnames — said they’ve saved for retirement all their lives. But now the bite of inflation leaves them worried whether those savings will last.

“This inflation is eating away at our nest egg,” said Rob. ”And at our age, we don’t have time to make it up.”

They worry they could end up dependent on government subsidies — or even be forced to move in with their children.

Could Americans’ family economics be that bad? Voters say yes.

This month 46% of people described their personal financial situation as “poor,” up from 37% in March, according to a poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. While a majority see high prices as beyond Biden’s control — fueled by the pandemic, a struggling supply chain, and the war in Ukraine — they continue to disapprove of his overall handling of the economy.

Tuesday marked the first nationwide election since former President Donald Trump’s followers tried to halt the certification of Biden’s legitimate 2020 election victory. And since the Supreme Court took away women’s constitutional right to abortion.

Democrats hit those issues hard during the midterm campaigns, but polls showed the economy rising as a key issue for voters, while abortion rights and threats to democracy dropped.

“I just want my 401(k) to go back up,” said Karen, a nurse who voted in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, and asked that her last name not be published.

The 69-year-old registered Republican said she retired in January but had to go back to work almost immediately, afraid that inflation would destroy her savings. She voted straight Republican.

On Tuesday, Malcolm Duncan left his polling place at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple “not disillusioned but disappointed” in the state of politics.

“Nobody’s fixing these problems,” said the 66-year-old retiree, weary of rising costs and a polarized nation. “I want to be able to buy a house and I don’t know if I can afford it.”

He was skeptical that Democrats could fix those problems without Republican help, but the self-described lifelong Democrat still voted straight blue.

Several voters in Franklin County, in the state Senate district of Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, said the economy was the most important issue to them, along with concerns about high crime and border security.

“I’m an old man,” said Robert Eberly, the former mayor of nearby Greencastle, as he prepared to cast his vote. “I can’t spend all my money.”

Contributing to this article were Inquirer staff writers Ximena Conde, Oona Goodin-Smith, Massarah Mikati, and Ellie Rushing; Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA; and Makenzie Christman of the News Lab at Penn State for Spotlight PA.