Michael Howard knows what he’s talking about. He’s a skilled carpenter with his own business, but he’s also a pastor and an elected Democrat on the Warren County Board of Governors.
Economic issues are crucial when people vote. Canadian tariffs have a particularly big impact here.
He says that both Democratic and Republican friends are struggling to make ends meet in a United States where inflationary pressures are increasing and the price of gasoline is well above the pain threshold of four dollars per gallon.
A full 84 percent of Americans think the economy is the most important issue ahead of the midterm elections, according to a recent survey from Pew Research.
Expensive wood
In his workshop in the house’s converted garage, Michael Howard still has work to do, with orders for bookshelves and kitchen cabinets. But President Donald Trump’s tariff conflict with Canada has made the pine lumber he buys from the neighboring country significantly more expensive.
“We don’t have the trees or the saws here, so I have to import. I can buy plywood in the US, but because of the tariffs, demand is skyrocketing and prices are skyrocketing,” he says.
In the end, I have to raise prices. This means I lose some assignments, while others are postponed.
Howard believes Americans like him are the victims of President Trump’s tariff war. In the third quarter of this year, he lost $10,000 worth of orders and was forced to lay off staff. The car deliveries he used to make across the state are difficult to manage with high gas prices.
Tired and hungry
“People are frustrated. Trump promised not to start any wars, to put America first and make life more affordable. We are seeing the opposite,” he says.
It’s 3 p.m. and the Howard family is coming home from school. During a spontaneous basketball game and bike ride in the driveway, Emma Howard, who also works in the family business and is a substitute teacher, talks about what she sees in local schools.
Thankfully, we have free school meals here. Many children are hungry when they come in the mornings. We also see more tired children because many sleep poorly when their parents are away working extra jobs and they are looked after by siblings or babysitters.
Fewer goods
How the family will afford everything is an ongoing conversation that even the children take part in, the couple says. They say they are buying fewer items and smaller packages with their food budget.
When it’s Christmas and birthdays, we try to do activities together instead of buying expensive things, says Emma Howard.
Facts: The US election and the economy
Since the 2020 pandemic, average consumer prices in the United States, including food and energy prices, have increased by just over 25 percent. Inflationary pressures remain high, with prices rising at an annual rate of 3.7 percent, according to the US Department of Labor.
The Iran war has also caused the price of gasoline and diesel to rise sharply.
The economy is the most important issue for American voters: 84 percent say it is very important, according to a recent Pew Research poll. Among Democrats, the figure is 88 percent and among Republicans, 82 percent. Health care, education and energy issues - which are also linked to the economy - also rank high. 68, 62 and 54 percent, respectively, consider them very important.
