Texas this week became the latest state to target fuel prices surging due to the Iran war, as both sides of the aisle seek to leverage the issue on the campaign trail ahead of the November elections.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) issued a 30-day disaster declaration over soaring diesel prices, a problem Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) earlier this week marked as a hurdle for Republican candidates campaigning, particularly in the West.
Abbott’s move, touted as a measure to cut costs at the pump, comes as both Senate candidates in Texas, Ken Paxton on the Republican side and James Talarico on the Democratic side, have voiced similar concerns about fuel prices. Both candidates have embraced proposals to suspend or eliminate the federal gas tax. Their position has been increasingly echoed by candidates in both parties competing in tight Senate and gubernatorial races nationwide, highlighting how the debate has inadvertently become a bipartisan issue, with Republicans and Democrats jockeying to gain an edge on a topic polling indicates is a top concern for voters.
Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, both gubernatorial candidates have called for the repeal of the state’s minimum markup law, which includes a provision prohibiting gas stations from selling fuel below cost. Democratic candidate David Crowley first pushed to repeal the Unfair Sales Act over the summer, saying it would lower prices by 40 cents per gallon of gas and over 56 cents per gallon of diesel. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican in the Wisconsin governor’s race, echoed the call in late August.
“David Crowley raised Milwaukee County’s sales tax by 80 percent, raised property taxes by the most in 15 years, and now won’t even commit to giving Wisconsin taxpayers their $3 billion state surplus back,” Tiffany said in a statement. “As governor, I’ll return the entire surplus to you, cut income taxes for working families, and fully repeal the minimum markup law to help lower prices at the pump. David Crowley’s answer to rising costs is to take more of your hard-earned money. Mine is to make sure you keep more of it so you have more for groceries, more for the bills, and more left in your pocket.”
Crowley has sought to pin Tiffany on the Iran war by tying surging energy costs to the war, making it a key issue in the battleground race.
“Farmers are paying the price of Donald Trump and Tom Tiffany’s war-of-choice with Iran,” Crowley said earlier this month. “Everywhere I go, I hear that Wisconsin farmers are struggling to pay for the gas and diesel they need to run their farms and businesses. While MAGA Congressman Tom Tiffany has voted to continue the Iran war, I’ll deliver relief to the farmers, families, manufacturers, and truck drivers that are hurting by repealing a Depression-era law that will lower costs on gas and diesel.”
Tiffany said in May it was time to “wrap up” the Iran war. The Republican reiterated his demand earlier this month, telling FOX6 News last week that “I just believe that we should be exiting Iran.” When pressed on why he has repeatedly voted against a House war powers resolution targeting Trump’s power to continue the war, a position Crowley has slammed him for, Tiffany said he believed Trump should still have “the final say” on ending the war.
Georgia
In Georgia, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson last Thursday unveiled an energy proposal that would trigger automatic state fuel tax cuts during price surges, such as the latest ones caused by the Iran war, if elected.
Jackson’s push came as his chief rival, Democratic Keisha Lance Bottoms, pledged to suspend the state gas tax if she won the election, and pushed Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) to suspend Georgia’s gas fee.
Kemp did just that on Monday, signing an executive order suspending the state’s gas tax for 30 days, echoing actions he took earlier this year. The order this week saves residents 33.3 cents per gallon on regular gasoline and 37.3 cents per gallon on diesel fuel.
“Global markets remain unstable and are subjecting Georgians to unpredictable price shocks on basic goods and services, including but not limited to gasoline and diesel fuel prices,” the governor wrote. “The factors driving these market shifts are inherently unpredictable, and therefore, difficult, if not impossible, for the citizens of our state to budget for, worsening the impact on hardworking Georgians.”
For Georgians, the Iran war has not taken center stage in the energy debate during the gubernatorial race.
Ohio
In Ohio, Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Sept. 23 unveiled a proposal to cut the state’s gas tax, which could save residents around 38 cents per gallon for unleaded and 47 cents per gallon for diesel. His push for a 90-day gas tax holiday was backed by top state legislators, with a vote set for Wednesday. But the plan was met with skepticism by Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH), who is concerned that the $750 million in lost revenue could undermine Ohio’s road-building and repair efforts.
Ramaswamy’s proposal came after Democratic candidate Amy Acton called for a similar halt to the tax, but offered little detail on how she would enact it.
While the Iran war has not been a top issue in the gubernatorial race, Ohio’s Senate candidates have emphasized the foreign policy angle more in their campaigns because of its impact on gas prices.
Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), who is embroiled in a reelection campaign and is facing former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), said last week the war needs “to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices.” He also backed suspending Ohio’s gasoline tax for a limited period, telling Politico it would be “a reasonable thing” for DeWine to consider.
In later comments, Husted emphasized that the war should end “successfully,” even as Brown’s campaign accused him of “sending prices through the roof” by backing the conflict.
“Jon Husted doesn’t want to talk about the central role he has played in sending prices through the roof: Husted voted 14 times to continue the war in Iran that has sent the costs of gas and diesel to record highs,” Brown’s campaign told ABC 6. “Jon Husted puts corporations and billionaires first every time, and we all pay for it.”
Husted responded that ensuring the war ends “successfully” is critical to bringing down fuel prices long term and keeping Iran from controlling the Strait of Hormuz.
“I don’t know anybody that doesn’t want the war to end, but we need to make sure that when it does, that Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz and doesn’t have a nuclear weapon,” Husted said. “If you think gas prices are high now, if Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, they will be extremely high, and they will be able to hold America and the whole world hostage for oil and other aspects of life.”
Michigan
In Michigan, GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers last week reiterated his calls to suspend the state and federal gas taxes, which amount to about 70 cents a gallon. In another cost-cutting proposal backed by Trump, Rogers urged a temporary embargo on U.S. diesel exports to increase the fuel supply available to farm equipment and commercial trucks.
At the time, Rogers connected the Iran war to soaring energy costs, calling on Trump to end the war. The Republicans’ move came after his rival in the race, progressive Democrat Abdul el Sayed, had pummeled Rogers on the Iran war, making it a top issue in the close Senate campaign.
“The war in Iran needs to end to bring costs down,” Rogers said. “But Michigan families can’t afford to wait. Here’s what we can do now: place a temporary embargo on Diesel exports. American energy should provide relief to American families first. The war in Iran needs to end, and end quickly. When it does, energy costs will plummet.”
El Sayed later said that he “of course” supports suspending the fuel taxes, but suggested the policy is a Band-Aid approach and accused Rogers of “flip-flopping” on the Iran war.
“Mike – it’s not taxes that are spiking our prices, it’s the insane war your boss Donald Trump got us into. You called it a ‘win-win-win,’” el Sayed wrote in a post to X.
Alaska
In Alaska, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) last week echoed Rogers’ call for a temporary embargo on diesel exports, saying the restrictions are needed until the Iran war ends.
“The cost of diesel is just too damn high,” Sullivan said. “I’m calling for a temporary pause of American diesel exports so that we can rebuild our reserves ahead of winter, and put American and Alaskan families first.”
TRUMP TAKES A RED-STATE SWING AS GOP SPLIT ON WHETHER THOSE STATES ARE IN PLAY
While former Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat locked in a tight race to oust Sullivan, has attacked Sullivan over the Iran war, warning it has raised energy costs, she has not put forward a proposal for a diesel export embargo or suspending Alaska’s gas tax.
“Families in the Bush are staring down another brutal winter, doing the math on whether they can afford to heat their homes or fill their tanks,” she wrote in a recent post to Facebook. “Meanwhile, Dan Sullivan has voted for the price-hiking Iran war 12 times already.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
