Soaring gas prices in purple states such as Nevada and Arizona could tip the upcoming midterm election to the Republicans as Democrats face a potential backlash from voters over inflation and surging living expenses.
According to the consumer watchdog GasBuddy, fuel prices in political battlegrounds have remained stubbornly high.
In the first half of October, the average price of a gallon of gas cost $5.38 in Nevada, where polls cited by the news site Politico show the Republican challenger for the US Senate seat, Adam Laxalt, in a dead heat with the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.
Gas prices in Nevada are the fourth-highest in the nation, according to GasBuddy. The data was cited by Bloomberg News.
Arizona motorists had to pay the seventh-highest gas prices in the nation during the first half of October, according to GasBuddy. The average price of a gallon of regular fuel in The Grand Canyon State set drivers back $4.47 in the first two weeks of this month.
Recent polls show a tight race between the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Mark Kelly, and the GOP challenger Blake Masters.
Another key battleground state, Michigan, has also had to shoulder the burden of rising gas prices.
Gas prices in Michigan have risen more than 100% since 2020. The average price of a gallon of gasoline set Michiganders back $4.26 this month, GasBuddy reported.
Pollsters say that Senate races in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Nevada are “toss ups” — meaning they could go either way.
All of those states have seen gas prices increase between 55% and 104% compared to two years ago, when Democrats took control of the White House and the legislature.
As of Friday, the average nationwide price of a gallon of gas stood at $3.82 — which is nearly 50 cents higher than it was a year ago at this time, according to AAA.
Earlier this week, President Biden announced the release of an additional 15 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, though he denied that it was a desperate ploy to drive down gas prices just before voters cast ballots in the midterm elections.
White House officials told reporters ahead of the announcement that higher than usual corporate profits explain roughly 60 cents of current gas prices per gallon.
In his remarks Wednesday, Biden said that the federal government would begin to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve when the price per barrel of oil reaches $70.
Former President Donald Trump tried to add 77 million barrels to the reserve in 2020 when oil went for about $20 per barrel, but congressional Democrats blocked the plan.
Biden claimed in his remarks that he had done nothing to impede US oil production — despite the fact that he took several actions to throttle exploration, drilling and transportation of oil last year.
Additional reporting by Steven Nelson
