Inflation hit a three-year high last month as President Donald Trump's war in Iran continued pushing energy costs higher, and an analyst warned that could hurt Republican chances in the midterm elections.
Consumer prices rose 4.2 percent in May from a year earlier, surpassing the 3.8 percent hike the previous month, and CNN's Jeff Zeleny said those higher consumer prices could get baked in as a political issue even if they alleviate before the election.
"There is no question that this really just underscores what we've all been seeing all year long, that affordability and the rising costs of everything are really driving this election," Zeleny said. "Just a short time ago, we obtained a memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which makes this exact point."
Zeleny summarized that memo, which warned Republicans not to get complacent in Maine despite the Democratic primary win by controversial candidate Graham Platner because voter anger over affordability gives him a real shot of unseating GOP Sen. Susan Collins.
"They're talking about the economy," he said. "That is exactly what is driving this race and so many others. I was with the president just on Friday in Wisconsin and talking to so many voters there, and farmers and dairy farmers, they are just deeply concerned about the rising prices here, and everything is sort of connected. I mean, what we're seeing happening in the Middle East, there's no end in sight to the Iran war here."
"So it's all driving together," he added. "So huge warning signs for Republicans, no doubt."
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