Republicans hammered Democrats on gas prices in 2024. Now, those prices are soaring again — and this time, the roles are reversed.
In the 2024 election cycle, 87 percent of ads mentioning gas or gas prices in House and Senate races were run by Republicans, according to a POLITICO analysis of transcripts from AdImpact, the ad tracking firm.
This year, roughly two-thirds of ads mentioning gas prices have come from Democratic candidates or groups. The same Republicans who ran ads on the issue two years ago have now gone quiet amid voter backlash to high prices and President Donald Trump’s war in Iran. They’re mentioning gas prices far less in emails and on social media, too.
The gas prices messaging reversal reflects a sharp shift of political fortunes in just two years. The GOP is now in power — but affordability remains a top issue for voters across the country. Gas prices, a highly visible cost incurred regularly by many Americans, were a major political challenge for Democrats when former President Joe Biden was in office. But prices are now even higher than they were going into the last election, and Democrats are confident they can squarely blame Trump and his GOP allies for backing the conflict in Iran that has driven up those prices.
