MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona’s economy is growing in many ways, but for many voters in the presidential election-fighting state, it doesn’t feel that way as they consider their choices on Nov. 5.
Voters hear Democrats and Republicans promising to assist the middle class if they win. But voters have heard that before and, from many perspectives, nothing has gotten better.
This disparity is clearly felt in Arizona, where housing and other costs have skyrocketed.
Here are some key takeaways from Associated Press interviews with voters and economists in Arizona about the economy and how Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump are talking about it ahead of Election Day:
The job market is booming, but real estate prices are rising
Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, Mesa and Chandler, is booming.
The desert cities were fueled by Americans seeking the area’s eternal sunshine and desert beauty. It doesn’t hurt to have a mighty job market, bolstered by major tech companies like TSMC and Google that have expanded their presence in the Phoenix area.
In fact, according to the Department of Labor, Maricopa saw the largest percentage augment in employment so far this year among the largest counties across the country.
While there are many jobs, housing has become more high-priced. Real estate prices in Maricopa have nearly doubled since 2016, says Zillow.
“A lot of voters look at home prices and 30-year mortgage rates and compare that to the experiences of their parents and grandparents and say, ‘I’ll never own a home,'” said Glenn Farley, director of policy and research at the nonprofit Common Sense Institute Arizona . “Until these things are brought back under control, voters will continue to be upset.”
Many doubt that Harris and Trump feel their pain
Voters across the political spectrum in Arizona expressed frustration that they are not hearing enough about how Harris and Trump plan to address housing costs and rising prices for food and other essentials.
Harris has pledged $25,000 for first-time home buyers and tax breaks for modern parents, while the Trump campaign says mass deportations of migrants living in the U.S. without eternal residency will free up housing and higher tariffs will create job opportunities.
But voters are finding it tough to shake off the pain caused by reduced inflation after the pandemic. Some say they hear too much from Trump on social issues, while Harris focuses too much on some of the former president’s provocative comments.
“When it comes to helping the citizen, helping a man who has to go to work every day to provide for his family, I don’t hear much about it,” said Abel Ramirez, 32, a resident of Apache Junction, who is having trouble buying a single-family home for his growing family.
Ramirez voted for Trump in 2020 but is considering sitting out that election.
Arizonans, like many Americans, have a complicated view of the economy
Many Americans can look at their personal finances and find some reassurance, even if they often express despair when asked about the health of the country as a whole. According to a September poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, nearly six in 10 described their own economic situation as good, while seven in 10 said the country was on the wrong track.
John Akers, 34, is one of those joyful with how the economy has treated him but worried too many of his family and friends are being left behind.
He and his wife have seen their fortunes improve in recent years as their high-end audiovisual products business has flourished, and the fixer-upper they purchased in Phoenix in 2015 proved to be a wise investment.
At the same time, some of her aging relatives are struggling with rising costs, and some of her close friends are considering leaving Arizona for cheaper housing. He wonders whether Washington is focusing too much on sensitive cultural issues.
“No matter what happens, we are going to see polarization at the end of this election,” said Akers, who plans to vote for Trump. “In political discussions, the middle class is all too often pitted against one another, and important issues such as inflation and housing costs are not given enough focus.”
There is no effortless answer to solve voter malaise
Maricopa County is an example of the boom that drove American prosperity over the last two presidencies and that has weathered the housing crisis and shutdowns during the pandemic. But this boom also destabilized people’s trust in the real estate market, which contributed to the growth.
More people moved to the region than to the cities, and at prices that exceeded housing supply, driving up prices in a way that made mortgage rates above 6% worrying. Homeowners felt they couldn’t afford to sell and buy a modern property, while renters felt the promise of a stable middle class was increasingly out of reach.
Take Trevor Cowling. He and his wife bought their 1,500-square-foot home for $225,000 and secured a 3.1% interest rate on a 30-year mortgage.
The Cowlings had one child when they moved in and added twins to the family earlier this year.
The Cowlings would like to upgrade to a larger home, but that’s unlikely in the foreseeable future with interest rates still above 6%.
Cowling, 28, said if he tried to buy his home today with the monthly mortgage, it would “cost more than even what I make.”
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Boak reported from Washington.
