Few places in the U.S. have felt the sting of inflation like Arizona’s largest city, Phoenix, an unwelcome problem for Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly as he wages a reelection bid that is crucial to his party’s efforts to keep control of Congress.
Costs for housing, food and fuel are running higher there than in any similar-sized metropolitan area, adding financial strain for a border-state electorate that’s on edge over the White House’s move to lift pandemic-related restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border. Similar economic pain has taken hold across the country, with the Federal Reserve only recently undertaking interest-rate hikes aimed at easing the situation.
Kelly has pushed in Washington for a raft of anti-inflation measures and has criticized President Joe Biden’s approach to the issue. The White House has blamed soaring prices on Russian President Vladimir Putin and stubborn aftershocks to supply chains from the pandemic. But Kelly’s strategy may prove cold comfort to voters.
