Right-leaning commentators say high gas prices threaten Republicans in 2026 midterms

Right · 2Two opinion columns from right-leaning outlets, published on 4 and 5 October 2026, say high gasoline prices are a central political problem for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. 1 2 Right · 1Betsy McCaughey, writing in Hot Air, attributes the price rise to Iran's effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, which she says carries 20% of the world's oil exports. She says it pushed the average pump price to $4.48. 1 Right · 1McCaughey cites an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll in which voters trusted Democrats over Republicans on the economy, 42% to 34%. She says Democrats are predicted to take the House and possibly the Senate. 1

Right · 1She argues that the economy itself is performing well, citing Census Bureau figures showing median income at a record $87,138 in 2025. She blames Democratic messaging, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries's claim that people are "drowning in Donald Trump's failed economy", and lingering Biden-era inflation for voters' souring mood. 1 Right · 1McCaughey says Republicans should argue that the pain at the pump is worth it to stop a nuclear-ambitious Iran. She criticises Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who posted that the war "needs to end, and end quickly", and compares the situation to World War II rationing. 1 Right · 1Elizabeth Stauffer, writing in the Washington Examiner, says high gas prices are temporary and that prices will return to prewar levels, which she says were lower than at any time under Biden, once the war ends. She acknowledges that energy costs tied to the war have pushed inflation higher this year but says it remains well below its Biden-era peak. 2

Right · 1Stauffer says President Trump knew the Iran war would raise energy prices in a midterm year but chose national security over electoral advantage, because Iran would otherwise likely have acquired a nuclear weapon. She says she has been critical of his handling of the war but is convinced that confronting Iran was in America's interest. 2 Right · 1She says Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded an immediate end to the war on the Senate floor on Monday, which she calls dangerously shortsighted. 2 Right · 1Stauffer also says the economy is strong, citing Fox News contributor Larry Kudlow: an Atlanta Fed third-quarter GDP growth estimate of 5%, retail sales up 6% over the past year, and unemployment at 4.1%. She urges Republicans to remind voters of the administration's record and warns that a Democratic Congress would advance a "socialist agenda". 2