Relief Checks Reflect New Power of Suburban Voters
A shift in fiscal policy to court a change in key battleground states will benefit a broader coalition of Americans.
Courting the suburban consumer.
Photographer: Bloomberg
Last month's election brought an electoral realignment, with Georgia and Arizona flipping to Democrats on the back of a strong showing in inner and outer suburban communities. The fiscal relief deal that just came together in Congress is the first indication that Washington is taking this new suburban battleground into account when it crafts legislation, with the immediacy of the Senate runoff elections in Georgia on the minds of both parties.
Suburban voters have different policy preferences than the kinds of voters who used to decide elections in traditional battleground states like Iowa and Ohio. In this new electoral landscape, giving direct relief to suburbanites might become as common as giving relief to farmers has been.