The 2022 midterms are the first “post-pandemic” elections in the US, with the virus slipping down voters’ list of concerns and president Joe Biden still winning some credit for his handling of the Covid-19 crisis.
2022年中期选举是美国“大流行后”的首次选举，选民关注的问题清单上，新冠病毒的排名下滑，而乔•拜登总统在处理新冠危机方面仍赢得一些赞誉。
But the issues voters are most concerned about, from high inflation and poor school test results to rising levels of crime, have all been exacerbated to some degree by the pandemic and its aftermath. And it is Republican candidates who are reaping the benefits.
但选民最关心的问题，从高通胀、糟糕的学校考试成绩到犯罪率上升，都在一定程度上因疫情及其后果而加剧。而受益的正是共和党候选人。
“Covid-19 is declining as an issue for the American public,” said Chris Jackson, senior vice-president at Ipsos. “People have gone back to normal, but they are not giving the Democrats credit for that — they want to know what both parties are going to do for them next.”
益普索高级副总裁克里斯•杰克逊表示：“对美国公众来说，新冠疫情作为一个问题的重要性正在下降。人们已经恢复了正常生活，但他们并不认为这是民主党人的功劳，他们想知道两党接下来会为他们做什么。”
Top of the list of voters’ worries going into Tuesday’s vote is inflation, multiple polls have shown, which is running at 8.2 per cent. Earlier this week, Fed chair Jay Powell indicated the US central bank’s fight with soaring prices is far from over, warning interest rates will peak at higher levels than previously expected.
多项民调显示，选民在周二投票前最担心的是通胀，目前通胀率为8.2%。本周早些时候，美联储主席杰伊•鲍威尔(Jay Powell)暗示，美联储与物价飙升的斗争远未结束，他警告称，利率的峰值将高于之前预期的水平。