Republicans in battleground races are calling for an end to the Iran war and emergency actions to ease high fuel prices as the economic fallout from the conflict threatens to torpedo the party’s chances in the midterm election.
The push from key congressional candidates – including the Republican Senate nominees in Iowa and Michigan – to end the war illustrates the growing GOP angst around a conflict that is deeply unpopular.
While some prominent MAGA media figures have been critical of the war for months, GOP elected officials and candidates have largely stood behind Trump on Iran.
Yet as Election Day approaches in six weeks and the war nears the seven-month mark with no end in sight, its impact on Americans’ pocketbooks has only worsened, heightening
the potential political consequences and widening the fissure among President Donald Trump's supporters on the conflict.
Of particular concern are gas prices that now average $4.48 a gallon nationwide, according to AAA, up 41% in the last year. The average cost for a gallon of diesel fuel recently hit a new record high, driving up prices for other goods dependent on diesel-powered transport.
High fuel prices are a potent political issue, and some GOP lawmakers are calling on Trump to take action immediately to help Americans cope with the increased costs.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running for Senate in Iowa, put out aSept. 21 statement on social media calling on Trump to temporarily prevent U.S. diesel from being sold abroad in a bid to increase domestic supply and drive down prices. Iowa and other states with large agriculture industries have been particularly hard hit by the rise in diesel prices.
“Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran,” Hinson said, while calling for an “immediate end” to the war.
Iowa GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who faces a tough reelection campaign, also released a statement on Sept. 21 saying Trump should “end the open-ended war.” Former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running for Senate in Michigan, said in a new ad released Sept. 21 that “the war with Iran needs to end, and end quickly.”
Rogers and Miller-Meeks joined Hinson in calling for restrictions on diesel sales abroad and other measures to reduce fuel costs, including suspending gas taxes.
Democrats accused the GOP candidates of shifting their stance on the war for political purposes. The Iowa Democratic Party noted that Hinson repeatedly voted against a measure aimed at stopping Trump from continuing the war.
“Nothing Ashley Hinson says now can hide the fact that she’s voted seven times to continue the war in Iran, while trying to downplay its costly impact on Iowans,” said Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Drew Myers. “No Iowan is going to be fooled by empty statements come November.”
Rogers also has previously backed Trump on the war, and Miller-Meeks voted against checking Trump’s Iran war powers before joining with Democrats and a handful of Republicans, including Iowa GOP Rep. Zach Nunn, last week to support the measure.
Both Hinson and Rogers trail their Democratic opponents in the Real Clear Politics average of polls as their races head into the final stretch. Trump’s approval rating has plummeted amid the war, and is threatening to drag down GOP candidates.
Republican candidates increasingly have been seeking distance from Trump as the election nears. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Florida,recently criticized the president’s immigration policies in a new ad.
A CNN survey released Sept. 22 found that just 26% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the Iran.
Trump has downplayed the cost of the war for consumers, sayingat a rally last week in North Carolina that high gas prices are “a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done.” He said the war would end “soon,” but also has threatened escalation.
"My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They better behave," Trump told Fox News in a Sept. 20 interview.
Trump is struggling to end the war as Iran continues to threaten the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'End the open-ended war.' GOP candidates push Trump on Iran
