Gas prices top $4 a gallon as Iran war drags into eighth month
Voters in key swing states are linking surging fuel costs to the conflict, straining Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 election.
By Kaito Sokolov ·
The national average price for gasoline has remained above $4 per gallon since mid-June.
President Donald Trump launched the war on Iran in early spring. At that time, he told the public the conflict would last only a matter of weeks. The war is now nearly eight months old. An interim ceasefire agreement with Tehran was reached in June but collapsed within weeks.
Oil prices peaked in May, dropped in June, and surged again in September. This volatility has driven diesel prices near all-time highs in the United States. High energy costs are raising prices across nearly every economic sector. In Columbus, Ohio, dispatcher Noor Dubow watches the disruption firsthand from his job at a trucking logistics firm. Dubow, 44, said he voted for Democrats in early voting because he is frustrated with the war. He asked why Republican leaders in Congress are not holding the president accountable.
The conflict has expanded beyond the Middle East. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure and airports. A Saudi-led coalition has responded with strikes on Houthi-held territory in Yemen. Over the weekend, the State Department announced it was reducing staffing at four U.S. embassies in the region. Officials cited intelligence that Iran is stepping up efforts to target American personnel.
The economic pressure is weighing on Republican candidates in traditionally conservative states like Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, and Texas. Internal party polling indicates that House districts Trump won easily in 2024 are becoming competitive. Five Republican strategists told the Associated Press in early summer that they saw warning signs the war would hurt their candidates if the conflict did not end soon. Since Labor Day, internal polls show voters are connecting the war to higher grocery and travel costs.
Trump has downplayed the economic impact. At a rally in Michigan, he said he has no regrets about starting the war. He argued that gas prices were a small price to pay to remove a nuclear weapon from "maniacs." He predicted that a new round of bombing could begin after the election.
Christopher Borick, director of the Lehigh University Opinion Observatory, said Trump's messaging is resonating with a shrinking portion of the electorate. An AP-NORC poll published last week found that voters from both parties want the next Congress to focus on affordability and end the war. Sean O'Brien, 21, a student at Auburn University, said he expects to vote Democratic because he felt betrayed by the "America First" promise. He attended the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this year but is now rethinking his political allegiance.
