(RightWing.org) – As gas prices surge again, Republicans have launched a national campaign to make sure people know exactly who is to blame. Conservative lawmakers are targeting 21 Democrat-held congressional districts in a bold move that could strengthen their control over the House next year.
US gas prices have fallen a long way from July 2022’s record high, when the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded peaked at $5.02 — but, over the last few months, they’ve started to rise alarmingly again. Fuel is now the most expensive it’s been since last October; in mid-August, the average price was $3.87, up 31 cents on July. That’s a real worry for Americans who are still struggling with the effects of high inflation.
Gas prices are going up because their fall from last year’s peak was an aberration. One reason prices dropped is that oil companies expected to sell less gas, and that pushed the price of crude oil down. The other is that President Biden launched a huge raid on our strategic fuel reserves, releasing over 180 million barrels of oil. That put downward pressure on prices — but there’s no room left to release any more. In fact, the government needs to be putting oil into our reserves to rebuild them. So now gas prices are rebounding, helped on their way by Saudi production cuts that are affecting the global market.
Now Republicans are targeting Democratic congressmen they say are helping push prices up. The National Republican Congressional Committee has singled out 21 districts it thinks it can gain next year and plans to put ads on billboards near gas stations so that every time voters pay to fill their tanks, they’ll know who to blame.
Right now, the GOP has a slim four-seat majority in the House. If gas prices keep going up, and they can link that with the Democrats in the public’s minds, it could be a lot bigger 18 months from now.
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