Rising fuel prices push Republicans in tight races to break with Trump on Iran
WASHINGTON (TNND) — Republicans in close Senate races are pushing the Trump administration to end the war in Iran as they try to distance themselves from an unpopular conflict and spiking fuel prices that are driving political headwinds for the midterms.
Three Republicans in close Senate races have called for the war to end this week, a significant shift from candidates that had largely stood behind the effort as rising costs have deteriorating support have made it harder to defend on the campaign trail.
That shift comes as skepticism about the war is spreading among Republican voters. A CNN poll released this week found GOP voters’ approval of Trump’s handling of the conflict has fallen to 60%, compared to 73% in March. Overall, nearly two-thirds of Americans said the U.S. isn’t winning the war and the president isn’t doing enough to end it.
Mounting pressure from voters to address the rising prices has pushed some GOP lawmakers to create some distance from Trump, whose approval ratings have also sunk as the war has dragged on.
Sen. John Husted, who is in a close race against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, said the government needs to figure out a way to lower prices.
“The war needs to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices,” Husted told Politico.
He was the latest Republican to speak out against the war with Iran as GOP candidates are facing increasingly frustrated voters with gas prices well above $4 a gallon and the cost for diesel repeatedly reaching record highs in the U.S.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Senate nominee in Iowa, said in a social media post on Monday that the war “needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end,” which comes less than a week after voting against a resolution seeking to halt operations in Iran.
"Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran. We need to use every option at our disposal to provide some relief from high prices," Hinson wrote.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Senate nominee in Michigan, also called for the war to “end quickly” and cited higher costs Michiganders are paying as a result.
“The war with Iran needs to end, and end quickly,” he said in a video posted online. “Michigan families can’t afford to wait.”
A growing chorus of Republicans have explored the government can lower fuel prices as they have hit highs amid new pressure on energy supply chains and little progress in negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Some have pushed for suspending gas taxes while others have called to stop exports of U.S.-made diesel, an idea Trump is considering but also faces opposition from lawmakers in oil-producing states.
Regular fuel is approaching $4.50 a gallon nationally this week, more than $1 more than last year, according to AAA. Diesel prices have accelerated even faster, surpassing $6.50 just as demand is about to hit its peak as farmer prepare to harvest crops. As prices have climbed, polls have shifted toward Democrats and expanded pick-up opportunities deeper into Republican-leaning areas.
Trump has frequently said higher gas prices are a small price to pay to ensure Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon, a position that is at odds with Americans whose budgets have been squeezed by years of elevated inflation.
“These are very tangible issues. Whether you're filling up your car, filling up your tractor, going to the grocery store, or buying things you need for the next planting cycle. All of these are tangible effects that are going to factor into voting decisions,” said David McLennan, a former political science professor and director of the Meredith poll.
The war has been broadly unpopular with Americans for months, many of which have disagreed with Trump’s assessment that it will be worth the higher costs being hoisted on them and are skeptical of the Trump administration’s plan for handling it.
GOP lawmakers and candidates have mostly stood behind the White House on the war with Iran, a point their Democratic opponents have frequently criticized them for. However, more Republicans in Congress have signed onto war powers resolutions that would limit Trump’s ability to continue fighting it, another signal of cracks in GOP support for the conflict.
The question facing Republicans in increasingly tight races is whether breaking with the White House will help on Election Day as voters increasingly connect the conflict to higher prices.
“From a purely strategic point of view, it makes sense for Republicans to come out against a very unpopular war,” McLennan said. “But less than six weeks from the midterm Election Day, and given the history of the Republicans supporting President Trump, this is likely too little, too late and it's going to be a really hard election cycle.”
