Longtime Republican pollster and strategist Frank Luntz told CNBC on Friday that Americans are “getting angry” because of rising prices at supermarkets and gas stations, and said voters will “take that anger out at the ballot box in November.”
Luntz said, “We’re not just anxious anymore. This country is getting angry when they go to the supermarket, when they fill up their tank. They’re going to take that anger out at the ballot box in November,” during the midterm elections.
He went on to question President Joe Biden, who he said is presenting a better picture of the economy than voters have experienced.
“There’s a complete disconnect between what they are being told and what they are experiencing,” Luntz said. “The reason inflation is so important politically and economically, it’s universal, ubiquitous, and it’s understandable.”
He added, “I think this is going to have a much bigger effect on the electoral outcome in November than things like the voting rights act or Jan. 6. This is hitting people where they live.”
Luntz also said that “you can’t blame Republicans” for the rise in inflation, which he said “is only something that’s happened over the last year.” He did note that “it may not be Joe Biden’s responsibility” because of the complex dynamics affecting prices. But he said, “The public is increasingly thinking it’s [Biden’s] fault.”
CNBC notes that the White House did not respond to the network’s request for comment.
