After Energy Secretary Chris Wright said gas prices might remain above $3 a gallon until next year, Republicans are bracing for midterm voters to have high energy costs on their minds.
“There’s a lot of stressed Republicans,” one GOP operative told The Daily Signal.
When asked by CNN on Sunday when gas prices will drop below $3, Secretary Wright said, “I don’t know. That could happen later this year. That might not happen until next year.”
The average price for a gallon of regular gas on Monday was $4.04 amid a ceasefire in the United States’ war with Iran. About one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran shut again after briefly reopening it Friday.
Trump later told The Hill that Wright was “totally wrong,” saying that prices will drop below $3 as soon as the operation ends.
“It’s going to be a slog as a result,” the operative said of the economy. “Everyone’s lines have been that it’s going to bounce back quickly. It’s got to do that, though, and I don’t think folks are optimistic we’re going to get there.”
Either way, Republicans are preparing for an election season in which candidates will need to focus on local issues rather than the national economy. Republicans in battleground districts need to know their district and their state and campaign on the issues that matter most to their constituents, the strategist said.
“That is where a lot of those candidates that survive cycle after cycle, that’s where they find success,” the strategist said, “because at the end of the day, there’s some things that are always going to be out of their control–and gas prices being one of them–is just the nature of the midterms.”
Another GOP operative said he’s willing to give gas prices a little more time before allowing himself to be truly concerned.
“We haven’t really seen panic set in in terms of gas prices, economy,” the operative said, “because I think [members of Congress], along with voters, are willing to give President Trump a little bit more time.”
Republicans aren’t minimizing gas prices, he said, but are seeking to communicate them to voters as part of a long-term plan.
“Trust President Trump and Republicans to take care of this really important issue in Iran,” the operative said. “We’re delivering on other fronts as well to make your lives easier.”
This echoes the messaging in the White House briefing room from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“The message is short-term volatility for long-term gain,” Bessent said at an April 8 press briefing.
However, if gas prices stay high, Republicans will face down-ticket issues, the strategist said.
“The reality of it is as gas is high, you start feeling that across every area of the economy,” the strategist said.
“As folks are gearing up for the home stretch here, whether it’s the committees or candidates and everything else, it’s just a matter of they’re just playing with the reality that the economy may not be flying at the rate it needs to be.”
Republican candidates should instead try to focus on tax cuts in the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” and job growth under Trump, both operatives said.
“There are some silver lines right now to kind of ease some of the gas burden we talked about, particularly on the tax front, as folks are seeing large return refunds hitting their bank accounts,” the strategist said.
“Job numbers continue to be strong, and there is real growth happening,” the strategist added. “It’s just expensive out there, and folks are feeling it.”
A Republican National Committee senior official believes there will be light at the end of the tunnel on gas prices later this year. Due to the rapid speed of the news cycles, the official thinks it’s likely people won’t be talking about the temporary increase in gas prices come November.
“Let’s say this stuff gets figured out in the next 10 to 14 days,” he said. “By June, how much are we talking about Iran?”
