NEWTON – While new job reports show unemployment claims have decreased for the third straight week, voters in Massachusetts said their big concern is the economy and being able to afford things like groceries, which seem to keep getting more expensive.
Economy as top issue
Eighty-four percent of voters said the economy is their top issue this election, according to a CBS News poll .
“When I go to the grocery store and I get a head of lettuce, it used to be 99 cents. It’s $1.99 now and it’s a bargain,” explained Harold, a Newton voter who chose to vote for neither major party presidential candidate. The economy is “the number one issue,” he added.
The pinch of inflation is most often cited at the grocery store and gas stations. At the Hebron Food Pantry in Attleboro, President Heather Porreca had to make the difficult decision to pause new registrations to keep up with demand. Their clientele has more than doubled in the last year.