Affordability Emerges as Key Issue in North Carolina Senate Race

According to CNBC, rising grocery, gasoline, rent and child care costs have made affordability a central issue in North Carolina's open Senate race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. Democratic candidate Roy Cooper has campaigned on the slogan "Make Stuff Cost Less," while Republican Michael Whatley has argued that Democrats helped drive today's higher costs. The article said Cabarrus County, northeast of Charlotte, has seen population growth, expanding employers and billions of dollars in investment, including from Eli Lilly, even as many residents say household budgets remain under pressure. The county's median household income is about $89,000 a year, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Living Wage Calculator estimates that two working parents with two children would need $113,966 before taxes to cover basic expenses there.