The Labor Day grill is hotter than usual this year, as Democrats fire ads at swing-district Republicans, spotlighting the cost of cookout staples like beer, burgers, and buns.
The digital ads, which target, among others, Colorado Rep. Gabe Evans, depict a can of beer being opened with a click and pop, and state, “Republicans Are Making the Price of Beer Soar.”
The ads then direct viewers to a website, TheRepublicanPriceHike.com, which lists the cost of cookout items as well as how much they’ve increased in price since 2022, two years before Republicans took power in Washington, D.C.
Food prices, on items such as beef, sweets, and eggs, continue to rise, though at a lower rate than last year, and are expected to go up further due to tariffs, among other factors. They’ve risen by around 25% since 2020 and are frequently cited in polls as a source of financial stress. Gas prices are lower this Labor Day weekend than they’ve been in recent years.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which supports Democratic candidates for the U.S. House and put up five-figures for the ads, stated in a news release that Republicans have not lowered food costs, and the Big Beautiful Bill will cause prices to rise further, allowing that the “wealthiest few can get a massive tax break.”
“Labor Day is supposed to be a time to celebrate the contributions of the American worker and to relax with neighbors and families over a grill enjoying burgers and beer,” said DCCC Spokesperson Viet Shelton in a news release. “But House Republicans are ruining everyone’s cookouts by making the trip to the grocery store more expensive.”
A spokesman for the Natiolnal Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which aims to protect the Republican majority in the U.S. House, stated that Democrats are responsible for inflation.
“Coloradans haven’t forgotten that it was Democrats who sparked record high inflation. Republicans are cleaning up their mess, driving down costs, and putting more money in the pockets of Colorado families,” said NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon in a statement.
Visitors to the DCCC website are asked to click on the typical cookout foods, and then they can see how much more they’ll pay for those foods since 2022.
“Select your items below, head to check out, and see for yourself just how much more you’re paying at the grocery store,” states the website. “Then, share the receipt with your friends so they know the truth.”
Evans represents one of the country’s most hotly contested congressional seats, and his fate will help determine whether he and fellow Republicans continue to control the U.S. House after next year’s mid-term elections.
