Republicans attacked Democrats in the 2024 election cycle for soaring gas prices, but the tides have turned in 2026.
In 2024, 87% of advertisements mentioning gas or gas prices in House and Senate races were run by Republicans, according to a Politico analysis of transcripts from the ad tracking firm, AdImpact. In the current cycle, roughly two thirds of ads mentioning gas prices have come from Democrats as gas prices skyrocketed following the start of the Iran war.
The average price of regular gas stood at $4.08 as of this writing on Wednesday, according to AAA. Prices averaged about $2.98 just before President Donald Trump launched the Iran war on Feb. 28.
Gas prices soared during former President Joe Biden’s administration, averaging between $3.60 and $3.65 per gallon. Prices peaked at over $5 per gallon in June 2022, when inflation spiked to a peak of 9.1% year-over-year, according to GasBuddy.
Affordability has remained the top issue for voters ahead of November. Now that prices remain high, Democrats believe their messaging on gas prices could give them an advantage.
Since Trump began the war, Iran’s attacks against tankers carrying Middle Eastern crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz caused prices to spike. Their price levels sat at about $20-a-barrel higher than the week before the war, though prices are not as high as analysts predicted because market participants remained uncertain about when the war would conclude.
Trump said during a Friday rally that he would “never apologize” for rising gas prices, arguing the U.S. had a duty to ensure Iran did not develop a nuclear weapon.
Trump also told the Daily Caller in May he did not “think about Americans’ financial situations.”
In Arizona’s 6th district, a Democratic dark-money group attacked Republican Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani for supporting higher gas prices by voting against Iran war powers resolutions, according to Politico. In 2024, Ciscomani ran an ad criticizing rising costs, though in 2026, his ads accused his Democratic opponent of not addressing crime and supporting the defund the police movement.
Republican Florida congressional candidate Ryan Elijah, who defeated incumbent Rep. Cory Mills in Tuesday’s primary, campaigned on affordability, including lowering gas and healthcare prices, according to his campaign website.
Americans for Prosperity Action, a conservative super PAC, made affordability part of its messaging in ads, according to Politico. One ad run in Ohio argued that electing former Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown would further drive up costs, while Republican Ohio Sen. Jon Husted would “stop today’s pain from becoming permanent.”
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