Midterm elections 2018: The US booming economy is HURTING Trump’s party - SHOCK claim
THE US booming economy may not at all boost the support for Donald Trump’s party, which as latest polls show is losing ground against the Democrats, because people are becoming too wealthy to care about it, an economist claimed.
Midterm elections: CNN analyses Trump's approval rating
The US economy has been performing exceptionally well in 2018, a result even more noticeable considering Europe, Japan and many emerging markets have seen their economies slow down in the past months.
The US Commerce Department published data on Friday showing the economy grew 3.5 percent in the third quarter, a result that may lead to 2018 being the best year in the last decade.
However, these major achievements don’t seem to help the Republican Party in the polls.
According to Michael J. Boskin, an economy professor at Stanford University, there are a number of explanations for what he calls an “anomaly”.
But, in a report for the World Economic Forum, he argued one is particularly important.
He wrote: “The 'economic effect' on elections no longer holds true.
“While economic distress may harm the party in power, economic strength might not help it as much as in the past.
“As voters become wealthier, more have the luxury of focusing on other issues.”
This means voters may overlook this achievement and focus on issues the US President has so far ignored - or even openly disregarded.
However, there are other factors explaining this phenomenon.
Professor Boskin continued: “For starters, the pollsters and pundits could simply be wrong, as many were in the 2016 election.
“At the same time, President Donald Trump may be hurting his and his party’s electoral prospects, especially among suburban women, by launching personal attacks against those who criticise him – including the popular basketball star LeBron James.
“And it is possible that, despite high ratings for his handling of the economy, many voters may not attribute the economy’s strength to Trump’s policies.”
An opinion poll from analysis site FiveThirtyEight showed that on October 29 the Democrats had a slight lead with 50.3 percent, while Republicans were following at 41.8 percent.
Americans will go to the polls on November 6 with early voting already underway in some states, including Florida.
This round of vote, called midterm because it takes place half-way through the presidential mandate, will elect 35 senators and 435 people in the House of Representatives.