[Economics] This Florida county is struggling with inflation and housing costs. Voters don't trust either party to fix it.

[Aronus]

Rebecca Esche has lived in Jacksonville, Florida, for most of her life. She is active in her community, getting hooked on the local political scene by "rabble rousing" and engaging with local lawmakers about the state of the city's public parks on social media. The 35-year-old artist, homemaker and mother of a first grader is passionate about issues like LGBTQ+ rights and combating climate change.

But while she's an involved citizen and a committed voter, she's not excited about voting this year. "I will hold my nose," she said. "This is probably the one that hurts. It hurts the most so far … This one, I'm not stoked on it."

And while Esche plans to vote for President Joe Biden, she knows plenty of other people who probably won't bother to vote at all this year. The primary concern she and some of her friends have about this year's presidential contest isn't even about the issues, she says; it's that both major-party candidates — including Biden, who she believes is fundamentally a "good guy" — are out of touch with the everyday economic realities at the top of voters' minds.

This is a common attitude in competitive Duval County, which is coterminous with Jacksonville. Former President Donald Trump narrowly won the county in 2016 before it flipped to Biden in 2020, 51 percent to 47 percent — the first time the county had voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter in 1976. But if voters were looking for a change, they may not feel that change has come.

In an election year in which voters nationwide are particularly unenthused about the state of the country, and about a 2020 rematch between unpo[CENSORED]r candidates, local economic and political tensions only seem to amplify their doldrums. The Jacksonville community has experienced steep increases in housing prices and cost of living over the past five years, and many voters say they aren't hearing a compelling message on these issues from either side.

 

This Florida county is struggling with inflation and housing costs. Voters don't trust either party to fix it. - ABC News