OPINION:
The economy is the top issue for voters in Wisconsin, one of the crucial battleground state, according to a new poll conducted by the Institute for Reforming Government. This is good news for former President Donald Trump. Still, the same poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris leads the former president in a head-to-head contest 48% to 45%.
In my state, half say the economy is the most important issue in the presidential race, up from 47% in June. Given a choice of the most important issues, 68% of independents say inflation increases everyday costs. Of those polled, 64% say personal finances are getting somewhat or much worse.
The survey showed that 34% said the president is primarily responsible for the current inflation crisis in America, while 21% blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and 19% blamed Congress. The key to winning the presidential election appears to be connecting Ms. Harris to President Biden’s mismanagement of the economy, conditions at the border and decreasing public safety.
In Wisconsin, prices have increased roughly 20% since the Biden-Harris administration took office. It costs me almost $1.25 more per gallon to fill my gas tank. Housing prices are up nearly 30% from four years ago. That means my son and daughter-in-law are paying about $1,000 more monthly on their mortgage. We can’t afford four more years of these failed policies.
Nationally, the price of gasoline has increased more than 50%, electricity by more than 31%, groceries by more than 21%, car insurance by more than 54% and rent by 22% since Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris took office. She says she is going to lower prices on Day One. Last time we checked, she is the candidate in office. Why wait until January? Do it now. Unless, of course, she is just saying anything to get elected.
Adopting Mr. Trump’s “no tax on tips “proposal is another example of Ms. Harris saying one thing while doing another. The Biden-Harris administration rolled out a proposal for the IRS to do more to collect taxes on tips. While hypocritical, it is yet another example of her and her campaign being willing to say just about anything to get elected.
Voters also care about the crisis at our southern border. It has become a national security issue when drugs such as fentanyl are making their way to Wisconsin and other parts of the country. Mr. Biden named Ms. Harris as the point person on immigration. She has failed to find the underlying reasons for mass migration across the border.
Illegal aliens continue to appear in story after story about violent crimes — including rape and homicide — all over the country. The border crisis is real, and the fault falls clearly on the Biden-Harris administration. Voters are rightly upset about the border crisis, which is why the Harris-Walz campaign is running ads claiming that they will secure the border. Ms. Harris is the point person on this issue and it has become substantially worse since she and Mr. Biden took office. Why would anyone believe she can fix something she messed up?
Then there is the issue of public safety. When Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz failed to call in the National Guard immediately when riots started in Minneapolis four years ago, then-Sen. Harris took to social media to raise money to bail the radicals responsible for the riots out of jail. As a candidate, she said she was open to alternatives to funding the police.
Public concern over violent crime has worsened during Ms. Harris’ time in office. If she and Mr. Walz took office, it would arguably get worse.
As the polling shows, public opinion is clearly on the side of Mr. Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio. The Harris-Walz campaign has the media and money on its side.
In Wisconsin, I keep seeing ads for the Harris-Walz campaign. They claim she will lower prices, fix the border, protect citizens and save democracy. Despite her failure to sit for an interview since she became the candidate, most media outlets continue to fawn over her perceived momentum.
Many Trump supporters I know complain about the media and question her fundraising numbers. My response is to note that traditional media will always be against us, and the fundraising numbers are real (we can see the ad war advantage on TV each day).
We have to counter these advantages with the truth and renewed enthusiasm. Attending rallies is not enough. Personal contact with voters is the only way to win in Wisconsin. We did it three times — even when our opponents had the media largely on their side and massive amounts of money to attack us. We told voters the truth and won. It is time to do it again.
• Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019.
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