Kennedy, a Republican, told CBS News he's been stumping with GOP candidates in battleground states and hearing the same worry over and over. He said parents lying awake at night are thinking about grocery bills and rent, not foreign policy. "It would help if the president would stay focused on cost of living," Kennedy said.
He also pushed Trump to address the nation on Iran, saying voters are uneasy about the situation even if they don't fully understand it. Kennedy described people as "a little worried" but unclear on why tensions matter to their daily lives, suggesting a direct explanation from the president could ease that confusion.
For Republicans defending seats this fall, Kennedy's comments amount to a warning shot. Candidates who can't speak to the cost of living risk losing ground if affordability dominates voters' minds more than foreign policy, no matter how national security debates play out in Washington.
Kennedy didn't say which battleground states he's visited or name the candidates he's campaigning alongside, but his message was blunt: kitchen table issues will decide these races, not Tehran.