Biden and Democrats are fighting for their lives after a number of self-inflicted crises threaten their chances of holding power come November. From surging crime to worsening inflation, these problems are only growing worse. Record high gas prices could very well push Democrats over the edge.
Last month, gas prices in the United States climbed to their highest level ever recorded. In parts of the country, gas prices reached over $7 a gallon. And to top it off, Biden’s gas hike isn’t concentrated, but widespread: 34 states have hit new record high gas prices, and in 26 states, Americans are paying average prices above $4 per gallon.
Biden has predictably tried to deflect blame for gas prices onto Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But Americans rightly aren’t buying it, with a recent Quinnipiac poll showing a plurality of Americans say Biden is at fault. Many likely remember how on day one of his presidency, Biden went all in on furthering the far-left environmentalist agenda: he killed the Keystone XL Pipeline, rejoined the Paris Climate Accords, and suspended new drilling on federal lands. He hasn’t looked back since. To make matters worse, his recently released budget proposal wants to hike taxes on the U.S. energy industry by $43.6 billion, making it costlier to produce oil and gas here at home.
Meanwhile, about one in three Americans say they’ve had to cut back on their spending for groceries so that they can pay for gas. This trade-off is outrageous. Biden’s only appeal to empathy? Over previous weeks, he has said: “I grew up in a family like many of you where the price of a gallon of gasoline went up, it was discussed at the kitchen table.” Even that is a lie. Gas prices were completely flat during his childhood.
Biden’s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, on the other hand, gets right to point: if Americans are struggling to buy gas, they should buy a $55,000 electric vehicle instead. Furthermore, Biden Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy recently jumped on high gas prices to say “we need to reduce our dependence on oil altogether.” The Biden administration is letting the mask slip: pain at the pump was always the point of their anti-American energy agenda.
Widespread outrage among Americans over the price of gas could very well translate into major victories for Republicans in midterm elections. According a recent Trafalgar poll, nearly 60% of likely voters believe Biden should step down for mishandling U.S. energy production if they have to pay $8/gallon. And according to a recent NBC News poll, 69 percent of Americans say they will support candidates who support oil and gas production. Biden and Democrats should be worried.
And believe me—Republicans offer a different vision for energy policy entirely. In my home state of Texas, for example, we could produce enough oil and natural gas to help bring prices down. In spite of Biden’s gas hike, the Texas oil and gas industry added 16,000 jobs in the past year, thanks in no small part to the policies of Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
Failed Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who wants to unseat Governor Abbott in November, faces an extreme uphill battle. According to a recent Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation poll, Abbott leads O’Rourke by a sizable 8 points – a lead which grows even bigger when accounting for Republican-leaning Independent voters. As gas prices continue to rise, it doesn’t help that O’Rourke has a long history of trying to destroy energy. He voted against the Keystone XL pipeline multiple times and once said he is “really excited” about the Green New Deal.
As Biden and Democrats self-combust among voters, the Republican National Committee is firing on all cylinders to not just help elect Republicans in midterm elections, but ultimately drive the price of gas back down, too. That’s why last week I joined volunteers at a gas station in Texas as part of a broader initiative to help register voters across the country.
Pain at the pump may have been what Biden and Democrats wanted, but in November the tables could very well turn when Democrats pack up their offices in Congress and drive home.