but many in the middle-class still support GOP.
NYT/Reuters: Middle - Income Group Feels Squeeze in Election
By REUTERS
Published: November 1, 2006
....The plight of the middle class is especially stark given that the stock market is at a record high, corporate profits are up and top executive pay continues to rise.
"After 10 months of thousands of conversations with middle-class families, I can tell you that everything that's been said about the disconnect between Wall Street gains and Main Street struggles is true,'' said Irma Esparza, executive director of Communities United to Strengthen America, an advocacy group. "Middle-class families are paying attention to this election and they're tired of being squeezed.''
According to the Pew Research Center, among those with incomes of $30,000 to $49,999, 48 percent are supporting Democratic candidates and 40 percent are likely to vote for Republicans. That's a reversal from 46 percent supporting Republicans and 43 percent behind Democrats in the 2002 race.
But the switch has been less marked among middle-income voters than among those at higher incomes, the Pew center said....
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According to a recent study by (the Center for American Progress, a think tank headed by John Podesta, a former aide to the Clinton White House), the typical double-income family in the United States is worse off than ever. Middle-class families are struggling to pay for a home, health insurance, transportation and their children's college with wages that have not kept pace with higher prices....
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-usa-elections-middleclass.html