Election Edition: It’s affordability, stupid!
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What is the core issue driving the 2026 election according to the host?
If there is one issue driving this election, it's affordability.
Every time you go to the grocery store or any place else it affects you, everything's gone up. I think I spent like probably three hundred every few days just to fill up the tank. The rich are getting richer, and the rest of us are sinking quickly.
Welcome to Here's the Scoop Election Edition. I'm Garrett Haig. Every Saturday from now until the midterms, I'm going to be talking with the smartest voices to discuss the top issues, the places, and the players that could ultimately decide control in Washington. Last week, I spoke with two of the top political strategists of this election cycle: James Blair, head of MAGA Inc., and Congressman Pete Aguilar, Chair of the House Democratic. Caucus. If you want to know where the parties are leaning in and where they have concerns, go back and check out that episode. This week, we're going to go deep on the top issue defining this election cycle, affordability. For more than a year now, affordability has been the buzzword on every politician's lips.
Democrats think it may be the key for unlocking their return to power.
And it's Democrats that have the ideas that people really want to vote for. We're the ones who fight for affordability. We're the ones who
President Trump thinks it's all a scam.
They
use the word Affordability, right? S fake the they are so fake because it was them that caused the affordability to use their word crisis.
So what do we mean by affordability? Broadly, it's the disconnect between the money we earn, what we get to keep after taxes, and how much that matches up with the costs of our daily lives, from gas to groceries, healthcare and daycare, and if we're lucky, taking a vacation. As far as Washington is concerned, it's hard economic data and policy choices. But it's also about vibes. It's a gut feeling. Are you getting ahead or falling behind? And is anybody gonna do anything to help? The polling on this could not be clearer. Voters see affordability and the cost of living as their top issue, and they are not happy with how Washington is responding. Today, I'm bringing in three people to talk about this issue who have spent time on the front lines.
My colleague, Shannon Pettipees, is a senior policy reporter at NBC News, and all year she's been traveling across the country to learn how policies in Washington are affecting Americans' bottom line. She's going to share some of their stories with us. We're also joined by NBC News contributor Ashley Etienne, who is a senior advisor in the Biden White House. She also worked for former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, developing and messaging some of the policies we'll be talking about on the Democratic side. And finally, former Republican Congressman Garrett Graves is with us. He represented Louisiana's 6th district for a decade before retiring from the House in 2025. He was a close advisor to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and has worked on legislation to address the affordability issue.
Shannon, Ashley, Garrett, thank you all for being with us today. We're talking about affordability. This is something that the president has long said was fake. He talks about the issue as kind of a scam. But then at this Republican convention in Dallas, he rolls out this idea of a $5,000 check to every American. What does that tell us about the real state of play here for Americans' bottom lines? I want to get you all in on this, but Shannon, What did you think when you heard about that? Is that what people you're talking to want?
Uh, they need so much more than a $5,000 check. People tell me they see systemic issues in this economy that are preventing them from getting ahead or that are leaving them falling behind. And it's not just one thing. It's not just, I need lower taxes on my tips. It's not just um a housing bill. Uh it's not even just gas prices. It is across the economy, everything in their lives, groceries, utilities. Property taxes, child care, elder care. It goes on and on. And it's been going on for people for years at this point.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the core issue driving the 2026 election according to the host?
0:00–6:17
2
How do the guests define “affordability” and why does it matter to voters?
6:17–14:52
3
What personal stories do voters like Brandon and Jill share about the cost‑of‑living squeeze?
14:52–21:40
4
Which policies are identified as the biggest contributors to rising costs?
21:40–39:58
Speakers
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