“People on the street were like, ‘Yeah, but my monthly childcare bill is higher and then my monthly mortgage, the price of groceries is ridiculously high,’” Tuerk said. “That’s the same story that you hear right now. There’s been no improvement.”
The disconnect between macroeconomic indicators and the "kitchen table" reality remains the primary obstacle for both parties. In the Lehigh Valley, where many families live paycheck to paycheck, the abstract numbers of the stock market or GDP growth matter far less than the immediate cost of a trip to the supermarket.
Gas and grocery prices contribute to living ‘day by day’
For the listeners who tune in every morning, the radio station serves as a communal space to process these pressures. Claudia Parrales-DeLeon, a Democrat from Allentown, says that Martinez’s show provides a sense of solidarity. In an era where many feel isolated by economic hardship and the fear of Trump’s intensified immigration crackdowns, the airwaves offer a place to be heard.
“I don’t know if it makes people less afraid, as much as it makes people more informed,” she said.
Parrales-DeLeon recalled a specific moment on the air that highlighted the desperation many are facing. A caller had dialed in to share that he had recently lost his job and was unable to find new work. The man spoke of the crushing uncertainty of not knowing where his next meal would come from, or how he would feed his children.
“It brought tears to my eyes,” she said, noting that such stories have become increasingly common as the "day by day" struggle intensifies.
This sentiment is shared by Alberto Pena, even though he isn’t a regular listener of the show. For nearly twenty years, Pena and his wife have operated a Dominican restaurant in Allentown. On any given afternoon, the dining room is filled with the rich, savory aroma of rice and crispy pastelillos, but the atmosphere behind the counter is heavy with worry.
Pena originally voted for Trump, hoping that the businessman-turned-politician would be able to reverse the high inflation that characterized the Biden years. He wanted a change that would stabilize his business and provide a more secure future for his family. Two years into the second Trump term, however, that hope has curdled into disappointment.
“This is not what we expected,” Pena said, looking around his restaurant. “The economy is completely on the ground.”
Despite his previous support for the Republican ticket, Pena says he is now leaning toward “Bombero Bob” Brooks. For him, the decision isn’t about grand ideology; it’s about survival. Like many in the Lehigh Valley, he is looking for a sign—any sign—that the political process can offer more than just talk and laugh tracks, but a genuine path toward relief.
