As unemployment remains high and fears of a double-dip recession abound, the economy’s growth slowed to 2.4%, according to the Wall Street Journal.

It is widely believed that Republican gains in Congress will increase based largely on a decrease in the growth as voters look to blame incumbents for the poor economy.

The downturn also puts popular GOP issues such as spending, tax cuts, and immigration in the spotlight, all conservative bellwethers and all debates that Democrats would rather avoid in the current political climate.