Cost of living becomes key issue in North Carolina Senate race
In North Carolina, USA, rising living costs have become one of the main issues in the open race for the U.S. Senate. Former Democratic governor Roy Cooper is competing with Republican Michael Whatley for the seat of Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who is leaving the Senate. As CNBC Top News reports, residents of Cabarrus County are increasingly talking about pressure on family budgets due to the prices of groceries, fuel, housing rent and child care.
Economic growth and family expenses
Cabarrus County, located northeast of Charlotte, is developing rapidly: new residential neighborhoods are being built, major employers are expanding, and investment, including from Eli Lilly, amounts to billions of dollars. The county's unemployment rate is low, while its poverty rate is below the U.S. average.
At the same time, the median annual household income in Cabarrus is about $89,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's living wage calculator, two working parents raising two children need a combined annual pre-tax income of $113,966 to cover basic expenses. MIT estimates child care costs for such a family at $22,466 a year.
Concord resident Rachel Wagoner, who is raising three children and stays at home, told CNBC that she has been considering returning to paid work over the past year because groceries and gasoline have become more expensive. According to her, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the family to make ends meet, while restaurant visits and shopping downtown have become luxuries.
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Candidate positions and polling
Cooper is campaigning under the slogan “Make Stuff Cost Less” and says that families are suffering from high prices. Whatley, a former chair of the Republican National Committee and an ally of President Donald Trump, argues instead that Democrats such as Cooper helped cause the current cost-of-living problems. Whatley campaign spokesperson D.J. Griffin told CNBC that Cooper should look at his own role in the situation.
Catawba College political scientist Michael Bitzer noted that both candidates are counting on voter dissatisfaction. In his view, Cooper focuses on people's current expenses, while Whatley links them to Cooper's time as governor and inflation during Joe Biden's presidency.
According to a High Point University poll, Cooper led Whatley among likely voters in April by 50% to 42%, while in August his lead narrowed to 50% to 45%. Both surveys were conducted online, so the university did not provide a margin of error. Cabarrus traditionally supports Republicans, but Trump's advantage there has declined: nearly 20 percentage points in 2016, 9.5 points in 2020 and 7.6 points in 2024.
