Kamala Harris Is Right to Focus on Price Gouging
By Danielle Deiseroth
With less than 70 days to go until the election, the economy and inflation remain top concerns for voters, especially the undecided swing voters who could determine the outcome of the 2024 race.
Recent Data for Progress polling has found that likely voters select “the economy, jobs, and inflation” as their top issue this election — with swing voters prioritizing the economy at an especially high rate. These voters are particularly concerned about inflation and the cost of food and groceries.
However, voters currently trust Donald Trump more than Kamala Harris on inflation by a +5-point margin — including a +31-point margin among swing voters — meaning Harris must use the next two months on the campaign trail to narrow the gap.
Earlier this month, Harris took a step in that direction by unveiling a set of new economic policies, largely focused on lowering costs and taking on corporate price gouging.
New Data for Progress polling finds that voters believe that passing legislation to prevent corporate price gouging is the most effective way to lower costs. However, most voters have not yet heard about the work the Biden-Harris administration has done on this issue.
First, in a late July survey, voters were asked if they’re more concerned about short-term costs like groceries and gas or long-term costs like housing and health care. Respondents are roughly split between short-term (50%) and long-term costs (46%).
In another survey from August 2 to 4, voters were asked whether they think corporate price gouging or the policies of the Biden-Harris administration are more responsible for rising prices. Voters select corporate price gouging by a +7-point margin, including Independents by a +14-point margin.
In a separate survey from August 1 to 2, voters were also given a list of policies and asked to select whether each would raise prices, lower prices, or keep prices the same. The top three policies that voters believe would lower costs are passing a law against corporate price gouging (56%), cracking down on junk fees (55%), and capping drug costs (53%).
Less than a third of voters believe that deporting immigrants (31%), cutting corporate taxes (24%), cutting taxes on the wealthy (20%), or enacting new tariffs (19%) would lower costs.
When asked whether they support or oppose recent policies already taken by the Biden-Harris administration to lower costs and combat price gouging, at least 60% of voters support each policy, with the highest support for capping insulin costs and cracking down on junk fees, according to a Data for Progress survey from August 8 to 9.
Nearly all of these policies have net-positive support from Republican voters, even after being told that they are policies of the Biden-Harris administration.
However, while 40% of voters say they’ve heard “a lot” about the Biden-Harris administration capping insulin costs, less than 1 in 5 have heard “a lot” about each of the other policies.
These results indicate that on the top issue for voters this election cycle — the economy, and specifically inflation — voters believe that taking on corporate price gouging by passing new regulations, banning junk fees, and capping drug costs is the most effective approach.
Danielle Deiseroth (@danielledeis) is the Executive Director at Data for Progress.
Cover photo attributed to Gage Skidmore.