Democrats Preached ‘Affordability’ To Win Midterms, But Their Base Always Knew It Was About Lawfare

Democrats spent months telling Americans if they wanted someone in office who cared about what it costs to fill up the car or feed a family, then vote Democrat. It was a smart pitch. A preelection Pew Research poll found the economy ranked as a top issue for 84% of registered voters. Politico released a report on Election Day finding that “Republicans don’t think their party is focused enough on … the economy.” Bloomberg reported that 2024-Trump voters are “disappointed” about how the economy has been over the past two years. That pitch resonated with voters and helped Democrats take control of both chambers of Congress. For example, Latino voters who swung for Trump in 2024 swung for Democrats this year, with the Los Angeles Times reporting that economy and cost of living were Latino voters’ top priority. So when I went out on the streets of New York City for an exclusive segment with Hannity and asked people what they wanted the incoming Democrat Congress to do in January, I figured somebody would say something about how expensive it is to live — after all, it was New York. You could spend an entire hour talking about what people pay in rent alone. Yet not a single person I spoke with mentioned affordability as a top priority. I heard about the environment, “women’s rights,” abortion, and “humanity.” One common answer I got from multiple people was that Congress should focus on impeaching Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, though nobody calling for his impeachment could tell me what high crime or misdemeanor Hegseth would be charged with. Then I realized that the people I spoke to sounded a lot like Democrat candidates who — after having spent months campaigning on affordability — championed lawfare in the hours after their victories. “Thank you, Mr. President. Our thank you will come in January — with subpoenas,” Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., posted on X. Rep. Delia C. Ramirez, D-Ill., (the child of illegal aliens) had a similar message: “Noem, Markwayne, Miller, Homan, Bovino, what’s up? Clear your schedule.” Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., warned Republicans to “LAWYER UP.” An identical post was made by host of The Bulwark Podcast Tim Miller. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., simply posted “Subpoenas,” while Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., posted “They are going to need to plant new forests for all of the subpoenas we’ll be printing.” Communist streamer Hasan Piker was a bit more explicit in leftists’ goals: “WE’RE GONNA PUT YOUR ASS IN JAIL EVERYONE GET MORE WOKE RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Democrats’ knee-jerk reaction to winning the midterms was to talk about the upcoming lawfare rather than affordability, the very thing they campaigned on. After months of hearing how urgently we needed relief from high prices (and we do), I figured at least one person I spoke to in deep blue Manhattan would want the new Congress to do something about it. Yet nobody did. They brought up abortion, the environment, and impeaching Hegseth. Nobody brought up affordability. Then I remembered Democrats in Congress who started posting about “lawyer[ing] up” immediately after their victories, and the answers I’d gotten in Manhattan made a lot more sense. The people who wanted lawfare and Hegseth impeached had every reason to vote for Democrats because they understood what so many voters apparently didn’t: the affordability pitch was just meant to deceive voters and was not a promise Democrats intended to keep. Democrats used the affordability pitch to win over voters who wouldn’t have crossed over for an agenda of lawfare or the “environment.” An independent worried about gas prices or groceries had a reason to give Democrats a shot when all they talked about was affordability and how bringing costs down would be a priority. If it wasn’t clear before the elections, it should be clear now that Democrats and their base knew what this election was about — and it certainly wasn’t affordability. Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2 affordabilityDemocratElectionsimpeachmentlawfarePete Hegseth