Middle-income group feels squeeze in U S election

WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) David Hicks will still be paying back his student loans by the time his children, now aged 10 and 12, are in college, and he plans to refinance his modest home to help pay for their schooling.

College, rising health care costs and higher prices for everything from food to fuel are the issues that Hicks and millions of other American middle-income families are up against. When they go to the voting booth next week, many of them will wonder who, if anyone, on the ballot can help them.

''I just don't think that anybody in Washington is thinking about the interests of people in my family income bracket,'' said Hicks, 37, of Evansville, Indiana.

''Here it is, less than two weeks before the election, and I really don't know who I'm going to vote for,'' Hicks told Reuters ahead of the November 7 congressional election.

The Republican incumbent in Hicks' district, Rep John Hostettler, is in a close race with Democrat Brad Ellsworth.

''Honestly I don't think either one of them is going to help our situation,'' said Hicks, a registered independent who has voted for both Republicans and Democrats in the past.

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 dollars to 49,999 dollars, 48 per cent are supporting Democratic candidates and 40 percent are likely to vote for epublicans. 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.

TAX CUTS President George W Bush has said repeatedly that tax cuts enacted during his presidency, offering, among other things, capital gains tax relief and child tax credits, have helped buoy the economy and given U S families a lift.

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