The October surprise is an event that occurs in the month of October during political years that disrupts the election and has the potential to sway votes. It can be challenging to distinguish whether the hurricanes this past month are this year’s October surprise. The term itself is somewhat subjective and there is still the second half of the month remaining. However, during a briefing, Biden shared that it is estimated Milton alone will cost around $50 billion in damages.
The hurricanes have had a significant financial impact on the nation. It is predicted that Milton could have an impact on the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. Increased insurance costs could also become a larger issue. The storms offer a platform for the candidates to share the way they react to disasters leading right up to election day.
Former president Donald Trump has made several attempts to attack vice president Kamala’s response efforts to the hurricanes this month. He claimed that the current administration has only allotted $750 to each hurricane Helene victim. He failed to point out that the $750 was immediate support and did not account for the billions of federal aid dollars that will be administered to the heaviest hit areas.
Trump has made other debunked claims towards the current administration’s response to the storms. He claimed that the Governor of Georgia was not able to reach Biden to discuss relief needs for the hurricane. The Republican Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp debunked himself, telling reporters that on a call with Biden, the president asked him, "Hey, what do you need?”.
The storms have allowed for an opportunity for criticism of the democratic party. Ron Bojean, a republican strategist said that, “Trump could absolutely take advantage of that if they haven’t planned it all the way through,” he added. “It’s really going to be a test. … We’re talking about trying to convince small amounts of independent voters to go one way or another.”
The discourse following the storms will play a critical role in the polls. Voters will be able to follow the candidates reactions to economic stressors. This is critical because both candidates have run much on their views on the financial state of things such as tax cuts and inflation.
Sources:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/12/hurricane-milton-updates-saturday/75644638007/
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