How rising costs pushed a longtime Texas Republican to split his ticket

Ahead of the midterm elections, The Washington Post is offering snapshots of voters across the country who cite affordability as a top concern. Here is the sixth in the series.

For the first time since Gary Podbielski moved to Texas during the 1981 oil boom, fresh out of tech school and the U.S. Air National Guard, he got rid of his truck.

“I don’t miss the gas mileage,” the retired IT professional and longtime Republican from New York said, noting his leased Kia Telluride gets about 27 miles per gallon.

Podbielski, 67, sees gas prices increasing the cost of nearly everything else. He’s adjusting his thermostat, canceling cable and shopping sales on bargain beef.

“It’s crazy how much food costs now. Across the board, everything has gone up,” he said. “We just don’t go out to eat a lot anymore. We buy premade meals so we don’t have to shop as much. But even those have gotten out of price range.”

He’s paying more for utilities, home insurance and taxes, too. And he’s not optimistic about his bills decreasing.

“Once it goes up, it never goes down,” he said. “History proves that.”

Financial snapshot

Annual household income: $130,000 (includes his Social Security payments and his wife’s pension and consulting salary)

Age: 67

Profession: Retired IT professional

Biggest financial worry: Inflation.

Podbielski describes himself as “purple.” He never voted for President Donald Trump, whom he said he dislikes. George W. Bush was the last Republican who won his vote for president. He didn’t like former president Joe Biden’s border security policies, was “an anti-Hillary person,” but he supports women’s rights and worries about climate change. He voted for former president Barack Obama.

Podbielski blames Trump and other GOP leaders for rising costs.

“I know it’s a lot to do with tariffs and the war,” he said. “Because of gas and diesel being so expensive, it just raises the cost of everything.”

Podbielski voted early, splitting his ticket. He voted for Democrats James Talarico for U.S. Senate and Gina Hinojosa for governor and Republicans for local offices. He thinks other Republicans will make similar protest votes.

“I just think it’s going to be a wake-up call,” he said of the GOP. “It’s a checks and balances thing.”

The Texas Senate race is among seven key elections that could decide which political party will control the chamber. Some conservatives and right-leaning independents in Texas have told The Washington Post that, like Podbielski, they are dissatisfied with how the GOP is handling the economy, energy costs and data centers. They plan to vote for Democrats in protest.

Podbielski said he sees Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas GOP leaders he has supported in the past as kowtowing to tech and data center companies in ways that have hurt the state’s economy and infrastructure.

“The grid can’t handle it,” he said, noting that electricity and water prices are already increasing and that Texas has experienced blackouts in recent years after storms. He said he worries more data centers will only raise the cost of water and electricity and strain state infrastructure.

Podbielski retired in 2019. His wife, who worked for the state as a trauma research registered nurse, retired in 2024 but continues to work part-time as a private consultant. They rely on her part-time salary and state pension, plus the $24,000 he receives from Social Security after taxes and Medicare premium deductions.

She turns 65 next month, but has always planned to keep working part-time, he said.

“She’s going to try to go as long as she can,” Podbielski said. “It’s hard in the medical field because of all of the budget cuts. She’s good through the end of the year.”

Podbielski gets so frustrated with grocery prices that his wife banned him from shopping with her. They don’t have credit card debt, but he worries about expenses. They’ve planned trips in the coming months to Costa Rica, Florida, the Southwest and Pacific Northwest — vacations he now worries they can’t afford.

“We shouldn’t be spending money like we are,” he said. “I should be saving it.”

They’re staying with a friend in Costa Rica, using inherited timeshares in Florida, he said, or listening to timeshare pitches in exchange for a free stay, “traveling on a budget.”

“I’ve been to every state except North Dakota; every national park. We do a lot of tours. We want to travel while we can,” he said, noting he has lung issues from smoking for 50 years.

“I know my time is coming. I’ll be ready for it. I want to get my traveling in.”