Groundwork’s Owens Responds to New Polls Revealing Voters’ Trust in Democrats on Economic Issues

This month, new data revealed 47% of voters believe Democrats would do a better job of keeping the country prosperous, up 3 points from 2024, while 43% think the Republicans would do a better job, down 7 points. This is the largest Democratic advantage since 2012. Groundwork Collaborative’s Executive Director Lindsay Owens reacted with the following statement:

“For decades now, the conventional wisdom in American politics has been that conservative economic policies—tax cuts that prioritize the richest and largest corporations, deregulation that favors businesses over workers, and a weaker role for government—would build a strong economy where prosperity eventually trickles down to everyone. But recent polling confirms that Americans aren’t buying that anymore. For the first time since 2012, aside from a brief moment during the pandemic, Democrats are now more trusted to keep the country prosperous than their Republican counterparts.

“Groundwork quickly identified that cost of living is voters’ top economic priority. When inflation squeezed Americans’ wallets after the COVID pandemic, Groundwork set out to explain what was really behind it: big corporations chasing bigger profits and an economic system that rewards their greed instead of keeping it in check. Democrats were too slow to prioritize bringing down high costs, and this was a fateful mistake.

“President Donald Trump capitalized on voters’ frustration with high prices to win back the White House. But under his leadership life has become more expensive for American families and his greatest asset, his strength on the economy, is now his biggest liability.”

• Prices are up on everything from Halloween candy to electricity bills;
• Families are trapped in a cycle of debt relying on Buy Now, Pay Later loans for everyday essentials;
• Trump’s only major legislative achievement hands out trillions of dollars in tax cuts to billionaires like himself and the same companies that have been ripping Americans off since the pandemic;
• Now, the federal government is in the midst of the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history because he and Republicans in Congress refuse to lift a finger to bring down health care costs for millions of Americans. Under Trump and the GOP, health insurance has become more expensive across the board — premiums are set to spike as much as 100% for millions of Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act, and employer-based plans will see their steepest increase in 15 years.

“Trump’s leadership is a tale of two economies. The stock market is soaring but the labor market is flashing warning signs that working families will be left behind.

“Voters now see that Republican economic policies aren’t delivering for them. That’s an important shift. Now Democrats must continue to persuade voters that they are best positioned to bring down costs and prioritize the needs of America’s working class—and then deliver.”