US MIDTERM ELECTIONS 2026 : AMERICA HEARTLAND HIT BY THE FALLOUT OF TRUMP ECONOMIC BOMB

What happened: US consumer prices rose faster in rural America than in cities, with the gap the widest since 2022, as midterm elections approach less than three weeks away. Key numbers: CPI up 3.7 per cent in September from a year earlier; rural prices up 4 per cent versus 3.6 per cent for cities; motor vehicle fuels up 35 per cent; household fuels up 44 per Why it matters: Rural voters are a large part of the Republican base, and Cook Political Report moved Kansas senator Roger Marshall's seat to "toss-up" from "lean Republican", with rural Alaska and Iowa races also seen as toss-ups.

US consumer prices rose faster in rural America than in cities, with the gap the widest since 2022, as midterm elections approach less than three weeks away.

Rural voters are a large part of the Republican base, and Cook Political Report moved Kansas senator Roger Marshall's seat to "toss-up" from "lean Republican", with rural Alaska and Iowa races also seen as toss-ups.