Surging gas prices tied to the war in Iran are setting off alarm bells inside the Republican Party, especially with midterm elections getting closer. Lawmakers on the right are starting to worry that voters staring at higher numbers on the gas pump could carry that frustration straight to the ballot box.
According to The Swamp, The Daily Beast’s Substack, the anxiety inside the party is growing quickly. The publication described the mood bluntly. “GOP mutiny over rising gas prices,” The Swamp reported. “Republicans are panicking over prices at the pumps hurting their midterm prospects, with Rick Scott saying he doesn’t buy the administration’s claim that it’s a temporary spike.”
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The concern is not just political chatter. Gas prices have already jumped sharply since the fighting intensified. AAA reports the national average price for a gallon of regular gas reached $3.25 after climbing nearly 9% in the week following the start of the bombing campaign.
That kind of increase is exactly the sort of thing that tends to stick in voters’ minds, and some Republicans fear the timing could not be worse.
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida spoke about the situation during an interview Wednesday, warning that the effects may not disappear quickly. He pointed to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where attacks have escalated and disrupted one of the world’s most important oil routes.
“We want prices to come down. I think unfortunately, prices are going to be up for a while until this ends,” Scott told CNN.
The senator argued that the United States must stay focused on the broader security picture even if fuel prices remain high for now.
“The most important thing we can do right now, and our job right now, is we’d love to get gas prices back down but the most important thing is to destroy Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon, destroy their military, their ballistic missile capability and hopefully we end up with a country that wants to work with the world community,” Scott said.
He also acknowledged that nobody benefits politically or economically from expensive fuel.
“We all want gas prices to come down,” he added. “Nobody wants gas prices higher. This president doesn’t want gas prices higher.”
Scott went on to argue that the United States had “no choice” but to become involved in the conflict, suggesting that the pain Americans are feeling at the pump may ultimately be temporary.
Still, according to Politico, several Republicans privately admit the political math is worrying. Higher energy prices have historically been a sensitive issue with voters, and with elections only months away, many in the party fear the war’s economic ripple effects could shape the outcome.