Economic Policy and the 2022 Elections
Like most elections in the United States, the economy was one of the most discussed issues during the 2022 election. However, the economic issues discussed were different than most recent elections. The unemployment rate in 2022 was historically low. The economy had added over 10,000,000 jobs during President Biden’s time in office. Normally, this would have made the economy a strong issue for the president’s party. However, inflation would dominate the economic discussion in 2022
Inflation reached a four-decade high in 2022 and so became an important issue in the 2022 election. Polls before the election showed inflation and the economy in general were the two top issues heading into election day. Economic issues being the most important to voters is not uncommon However, there was a large partisan divide over the issue of inflation. Republicans in the electorate were much more likely than Democrats to consider inflation a top issue. Republicans in the electorate were also more likely to blame President Biden’s policies for inflation, while Democrats felt other factors were causing inflation. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, gas prices surged in the US. In response, President Biden ordered the release of 180,000,000 barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the largest release since the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was created in 1974. Republicans argued President Biden was only doing this because of the upcoming 2022 election.
Instructors: click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download: Economic Policy and the 2022 Elections
Videos
News Articles on Inflation
Inflation Plagues Democrats in the Polling. Will It Crush Them at the Ballot Box?
New York Times
11/08/2022
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/08/business/economy/inflation-midterm-elections-polling.html
Inflation Helped Decide Elections Worldwide. Here’s What That Means for the Midterms
ABC News
11/08/2022
Is Inflation Biden’s Fault? Could Tax Cuts Fix It? Here’s What We Know
Time
10/31/2022
https://time.com/6226145/inflation-midterms-2022-fact-check/
News Articles on Gas Prices
Will Gas Prices Doom Democracy
New York Times
10/20/2022
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/20/opinion/will-gas-prices-doom-democracy.html
A Key Election Metric for Democrats is on a Sign in Your Neighborhood
Washington Post
10/18/2022
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/18/gas-prices-election-biden/
Whether Gas Prices are Up or Down, Don’t Blame or Thank The President
NPR
10/27/2022
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/27/1131675651/gas-prices-oil-fuel-rising-president
Assessment
Debate: How much are President Biden’s policies to blame for the inflation the US experienced in 2022?
Should the government try to reduce inflation if it would vastly increase unemployment
Poll: Do you agree with President Biden’s decision to release of 180,000,000 barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help reduce gas prices?
Do you think the Russian invasion of Ukraine has contributed to inflation in the US
Short Answer: Voters of which party were more likely to say inflation was the top issue facing the United States.
