Pelosi says election fight ‘not about inflation’  

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday said the midterm election fight should be focused on cost of living rather than the global problem of inflation. 

“When I hear people talk about inflation… we have to change that subject. Inflation is a global phenomenon,” Pelosi said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” with Margaret Brennan. “The EU, the European Union, the UK, the British, have higher inflation rate than we do here… The fight is not about inflation. It’s about the cost of living.”

“If you look at what we [Democrats] have done, to bring down the cost of prescription drugs, to bring down the cost of- of energy and the rest in our legislation, you will see that that has been opposed every step of the way by the Republicans, and they have no plan for lowering the cost of living or helping with inflation,” Pelosi added.

The issue has been top of mind for the House speaker and other Democratic leaders as midterms draw near. Pelosi said earlier this week that Democrats need to improve their collective messaging on inflation, which has polled as a top issue for voters this cycle. 

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Pelosi “wants to change the subject away from inflation” in a tweet Sunday.

“The American people deserve a change away from Democrats’ one-party rule,” he added.

Pelosi has predicted that her party will keep control of the House after November, though pollsters and analysts largely expect the GOP to win control.

Pelosi on Sunday knocked the assumption that a sitting president’s party always loses in the midterms. 

“Now we’re down to the stretch, and we’re down to very close races, and we feel very confident. I’ve been in over 20 states since Congress adjourned in the last month or so. And I see very clearly that the ownership of the ground is with us,” Pelosi said.  

Updated: 5:37 p.m.