by Aimee Picchi
CBS News
In a tight presidential race in which Americans cite the state of the economy as the most important issue, one aspect of the country’s performance could prove decisive: How voters in battleground states currently perceive inflation.
Americans rank the economy and inflation as their top two issues in the November 5 election, according to CBS News and other polls. But perhaps even more important than current price levels is how voters in key states interpret their experience with inflation, according to Bernard Yaros, lead economist at Oxford Economics.
All eyes on Pennsylvania
Yaros notes that voters’ views on inflation are particularly important in Pennsylvania, a state experts say could be a tipping point in the contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.