Candidates Should Be Like Sen. Kelly and Focus on Voters’ Economic Issues

The Democrats have a long year ahead of them. With some of the most highly contested and critical midterm races in 2022, there is little room for error on messaging and collective focus. The party needs to show voters that they have the right priorities top of mind – that means tackling inflation and low wages.

Arizona’s Senator Mark Kelly has been a model of focused policymaking and messaging along the campaign trail. In a crowded political landscape made more complicated by skyrocketing consumer costs and the invasion of Ukraine, Senator Kelly continues to zero in on what matters to hardworking Arizonans: stabilizing our economy and delivering opportunities for individuals across the state.

Senator Kelly has advocated for:

• A bill to cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 a month for most Americans, which recently passed the House of Representatives.
• Allowing Medicare to negotiate prices of certain high-cost drugs,
• Stopping drug companies from raising prices faster than inflation.
• Redesigning Medicare Part D to cap out-of-pocket costs at $2,000 per year.

It’s easy to get distracted by the many issues floating around in Congress. Of course, every legislator has a personal priority that they would love to see moved across the finish line. But peacocking in Congress is not what voters want or deserve today. Instead, we need hardworking and focused lawmakers dedicated to the issues we care about.

Anti-tech policy crusades

And, of course, there are consequences to these niche policy crusades in Washington. Take the wave of anti-tech legislative proposals, for example, as an issue that has been particularly frustrating for Democrats. Moreover, the recent surge of antitrust and tech regulations aimed at Google, Amazon, and Facebook distract from genuinely critical issues.

Many of these efforts have been driven by the right to shut down “woke tech.”

• A Senate committee voted in January to advance a bill that would prohibit companies like Amazon, Apple and Google from promoting their products over those of competitors.
• Many House lawmakers are pressing a suite of antitrust bills to make it easier to break up tech giants.
• Some are making last-ditch efforts to pass bills meant to strengthen privacy, protect children online, curb misinformation, restrain targeted advertising and regulate artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies.

In that case, restrictions could be put in place that suddenly limit the digital tools and services businesses depend on to compete and grow.

As Senator Kelly has consistently demonstrated throughout his time in office, it is the responsibility of Congress to push policies that strengthen our economy, not pursue politically motivated legislation.

It should be clear to lawmakers and campaign staff that anti-tech sentiment is not a winning issue. In fact, a continued focus on it while ignoring jobs and the economy will be a losing issue for individual candidates and the party as a whole. The stakes are too high, both politically and for our communities.

We need more leaders like Senator Kelly, who are doing the job they were put in office for – prioritizing the real needs of everyday people.

In these difficult and divisive times, we are all best served by leaders who keep themselves focused on what keeps parents and families up at night. Senator Kelly is a shining example of that, staying above the fray of unnecessary or partisan policy fights to get down to business on the matters of genuine urgency.

I would hope that more of Arizona’s politicians, and all of our Democratic elected officials across the nation, will follow his lead, especially in this critical election year.