Old North News

Only 39 percent of registered voters in four key battleground states—Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina—have confidence in President Biden's handling of the economy, a new poll shows. Additionally, it found that 77% of voters in the states, all of which are expected to play a pivotal role in the 2024 presidential election, also said that the country is heading down the wrong track.

According to RealClear Politics, the results of the poll were released in an article penned by Steve Cortes, chairman and founder of the League of American Workers. Cortes argued that the reason for the "pervasive pessimism" shown in the poll, highlighted by the 77% of battleground state voters who believe the country is going down the wrong track, can be found in those same voter's disapproval of Biden's handling of the economy. Cortes notes that of the mere 39% of respondents who approved, only 9% registered "strong approval," while 48% of the 57% that disapproved of Biden's job registered "strong disapproval." The battleground survey was conducted by North Star Opinion Research with 800 registered voters, ending October 25, 2023.

"While the President may be selling 'Bidenomics', these results indicate that Battleground state voters aren't buying," said Jon McHenry, a partner with North Star who conducted the survey.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the GDP grew 4.9 percent in the third quarter, thanks in large part to consumer spending, but that growth has not translated into support for the Biden Administration's handling of the economy of "Bidenomics," the economic philosophy the president has embraced. Inflation fears are persistent, as are concerns that the economic expansion will begin to slow due to dwindling consumer savings and lower incomes after accounting for inflation. Interest rate increases, fueling the 30-year mortgage rate close to eight percent, also have a dampening effect on economic growth.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) report indicates that the overall CPI rose 3.7 percent from September 2022 to September 2023.

Per the BLS, the nationwide food index increased 3.7 percent from September 2022 to September 2023. Cereals and bakery products were up 4.8 percent over that same time period.

The CPI report also puts the cost of new vehicles at 2.5 percent higher in September 2023 than in September 2022 and a 3.0 percent gas index increase over that same period.

According to GasBuddy, as of October 26, the average price per gallon of regular gasoline in North Carolina is $3.201.