US midterms: Americans vote from their pockets amid soaring inflation

ITV News US Correspondent Emma Murphy reports on the results of the US midterms so far.

The lights in the White House burned late into the night. In the residence the president, first lady, friends and aides watched as the results came in. It can’t have been easy viewing.

As much as the administration has sought to say the midterms are not a judgement on the president and his policies, the reality is they are.

They always tend to be. If he wants solace at least former presidents Obama and Clinton can offer hope midterm defeat doesn’t always equate to being a one term leader.

In recent times only George W Bush saw a midterm bounce and that was in the wake of 9/11 as a stricken nation rallied to its flag and commander-in-chief.This year, voters chose not to recognise the wins, a vast infrastructure bill and improvements to structural social issues, and inflict losses.

They voted from their pockets. Paychecks aren’t keeping up with bills, the USA isn’t in recession but to many it feels like it is. Inflation is running around 8 %, rent prices are up 25%, interest rates and fuel prices mean making ends meet is hard going for many.That things aren’t worse for the Democrats is most likely down to the crisis many see in reproductive rights in the States. The hope was it would be the galvanising force. It’s played a part but money in the end drove the voting.Interestingly, in a poll of what matters to voters the issue of democracy didn’t make the top five. This is the first set of elections since the attempt to overturn the result of the presidential election in 2020 and it was thought democracy would be on the ballot. The narrative of being wronged may drive the successful campaigns of many election deniers but in the end it’s still the money that talks.

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According to those who know the president well, the mood in the White House today is “giddy and gleeful”.

Of course quite a lot of that will be good spin - Say it’s good, say there’s nothing to worry about and maybe that’s the message others will take away.

Relived and surprised may be a better description. Even without all the results in this wasn’t the drubbing the Democrats feared.

It’s no reason for celebration though, these midterm results still show a country in flux, not particularly happy with either party and probably fairly unclear where the path of hope is.

As much as the administration has sought to say the midterms are not a judgement on the President and his policies, the reality is they are. They always tend to be.

If he wants solace at least former presidents Obama and Clinton can offer hope midterm defeat doesn’t always equate to being a one term leader.

In recent times only George W Bush saw a midterm bounce and that was in the wake of 9/11 as a stricken nation rallied to its flag and commander in chief.

This year voters chose not to recognise the wins, a vast infrastructure bill and improvements to structural social issues, and inflict losses. They voted from their pockets.

Paychecks aren’t keeping up with bills, the USA isn’t in recession but to many it feels like it is.

Inflation is running around 8%, rent prices are up 25%, interest rates and fuel prices mean making ends meet is hard going for many.

That things aren’t worse for the Democrats is most likely down to the crisis many see in reproductive rights in the States.

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The hope was it would be the galvanising force. It’s played a part but money in the end drove the voting.

Interestingly in a poll of what matters to voters the issue of democracy didn’t make the top five.

This is the first set of elections since the attempt to overturn the result of the presidential election in 2020 and it was thought democracy would be on the ballot.

The narrative of being wronged may drive the successful campaigns of many election deniers but in the end it’s still the money that talks.

Going back to the “giddy and gleeful” mood though, there’s probably one reason those words could actually be true and that is because Donald Trump’s candidates didn’t do as well as he would have hoped.

Given the history between the current and former residents of the White House that will certainly help the mood today.