Why these governors are providing tax breaks to residents on gas, groceries and their income tax bill

Facing families who are angry about the financial bite that high gasoline and grocery prices are taking out of their budgets, many governors are dipping into flush state coffers to offer relief in the form of rebates, gas tax suspensions and income tax refunds and cuts as they try to avoid voter backlash at the polls in November.

Just this past week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential future Democratic White House contender who is gliding toward reelection in November after fending off last year's recall, rolled out a $9 billion proposal to hand out $400 debit cards to California drivers to help soften the impact of the nation's highest gas prices. And in Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp -- who is facing one of the toughest reelection races in the country -- signed a bill Thursday that will give between $250 and $500 in tax refunds to Georgians -- a move several of his rivals immediately blasted as election-year politicking. As she faces a bruising reelection campaign in Maine, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has proposed some of the most generous relief to qualified taxpayers in her state -- in the form of $850 checks -- to cushion the blow of inflation and gas prices.

The proposals and bill-signings are just a few examples of how ambitious and, in some cases, politically vulnerable governors are trying to show voters that they empathize with the current economic pressures, particularly in the midst of gas price hikes related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In ads across the country, Republicans are trying to use inflation to knock President Joe Biden and Democrats who control Congress. Meanwhile, Democrats, in a year in which they were already expected to face headwinds as the party in power, are still struggling to find a unified response that connects with what voters are feeling.