Iran War and High Gas Prices Squeeze GOP Candidates Ahead of Nov. 3 Elections

Republican candidates are facing voter frustration over fuel costs and the war with Iran ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Noor Dubow, a 44-year-old dispatcher at a trucking logistics firm in Columbus, Ohio, said he usually votes Republican but cast an early ballot leaning toward Democrats because of the conflict. "Where are the Republicans in Congress?" Dubow asked. "Why aren't the Republicans holding Trump accountable?" Trump, who has often called the war a "little detour," has repeatedly predicted a quick end while threatening a new round of bombing after the election. At a recent rally in Michigan, he said he had no regrets about launching the war. "I thought gas would be double or triple," Trump told supporters. "And it's a small price to pay for taking a nuclear weapon away from maniacs." Diesel prices remain near all-time highs, and the national average for gasoline has stayed above $4 per gallon since mid-June, creating competitive races in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas, according to Republican strategists who spoke to The Associated Press about internal party data. Five strategists involved in key races said they began seeing warning signs in early summer. After Trump signed an interim ceasefire agreement with Tehran in June, the deal unraveled within weeks. Internal polls later showed voters linking the war to grocery and travel costs, the strategists said. Oil prices rose in May, dropped in June, then surged again in September as Trump threatened to escalate before backing off. Christopher Borick, director of the Lehigh University Opinion Observatory, said Trump's message on the war reaches fewer voters. "For voters disappointed with the direction of the conflict, there's little by way of the president's claims that would change their negative outlook," Borick said. An AP-NORC poll published last week found that voters from both parties want the next Congress to make life more affordable and end the war. The State Department said last weekend it was reducing staffing at four U.S. embassies in the Middle East after intelligence showed Iran had stepped up efforts to target American personnel. Houthi rebels have attacked Saudi oil infrastructure and airports, and a Saudi-led coalition has struck Houthi-held territory in Yemen. Clay Coey, 59, an auctioneer in DeWitt, Michigan, said he cringes when filling his 2010 Chrysler Sebring but accepts the cost for security reasons. Elizabeth Marlett, 61, a beef rancher in Moville, Iowa, said she supports the commander in chief even though the war has taken longer than expected. Sean O'Brien, 21, a student at Auburn University, said Trump's decision left him "very disillusioned" and that he expects to vote Democratic.

image_prompt":

image_prompt