These Five Factors Will Decide If Democrats Lose Control of Congress

Just one week before midterm elections that will determine control of both the House and Senate, Republicans look poised to come away with big wins as voters focus on stubborn inflation and recession fears. President Joe Biden’s chronically low approval rating means he is not able to make a compelling case for Democrats. Here are the key things to watch for in the run-up to the vote:

The highest inflation in a generation and talk of a looming recession are stoking voters’ economic fears just as they head out to the voting booth. Democrats have been laser focused on abortion rights after the Supreme Court rolled them back in the summer, but the issue’s salience has faded in light of still-high gasoline and food prices. A plan to cancel thousands of dollars in college debt, a sop to young voters, has proven divisive and given Republicans an opportunity to attack it as potentially inflationary. Republicans have relentlessly hammered home the message on the grim economic outlook and as a result it’s looking like Democrats will lose control of both the House and Senate.