Gas prices have always been a powerful motivator for voters, and this year appears to be shaping up to be no different.
President Donald Trump is leading his party into the midterm elections with much higher gas prices than any of his predecessors, according to a review of average gas price data from the U.S. Energy Information Agency.
The average price of gas in the United States on Tuesday, Nov. 3 is $4.14, according to AAA. That's higher than the average in first week of November in any election year going back to 1994, according to EIA's data.
"New election day record: the highest ever national average for gasoline and diesel prices ever on election day," Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a Nov. 3 X post."$4.12/gal
for gasoline, $6.28/gal for diesel."
Voters have consistently said in polls that U.S. gas prices are top of mind as they cast their ballots. Trump has promised in multiple campaign rallies that the prices will drop soon, even as AAA's average national gas price has been above $4 per gallon since April.
"By the way, when that [Iran] war ends, you're gonna see gasoline coming down," Trump said at a Nov. 1 campaign rally in Iowa, where polls show Republican Senate nominee Ashley Hinson in a much closer race against Democratic Senate nominee Josh Turek than political observers were initially expecting.
The USA TODAY Cars team took a look at how polls show gas prices are affecting Trump's approval ratings and what Americans were paying at the pump on previous Election Days.
How have gas prices affected Trump's approval ratings?
About 76% of registered U.S. voters disapprove of Trump's handling of gas prices, while 20% approve, according to an Oct. 8 poll from Navigator Research.
The poll also showed that 73% of registered voters heading into the November election disapprove of Trump's handling of inflation and the cost of living, while 23% approve. In the poll, 62% of registered voters said they disapprove of how Trump is handling his job as president, while 36% approve.
"President Trump’s approval ratings have hit all-time lows in Navigator tracking," the group said. "Majorities disapprove of Trump’s handling of gas prices, inflation and the cost of living, and foreign policy."
De Haan said in a Nov. 2 blog post that gas prices have decreased slightly ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3, but they remain largely contingent on developments in the U.S.-Iran war.
"Average gasoline prices fell in nearly every state over the last week, while diesel declined in most, as refinery maintenance wraps up and seasonal demand continues to fade with the onset of cooler weather," De Haan wrote.
"Whether new attacks occur or a truce takes hold around the Strait of Hormuz, along with continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, will likely dictate where prices head as we move closer to the holidays," he added.
How much were Americans paying for gas on previous Election Days?
Americans have paid an average for $3.40 per gallon for gas, adjusted for current levels of inflation, on Election Days going back to 1994, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI calculator.
Here are the inflation-adjusted the averages on the first week of November in all those election years going back 30 years:
- November 1994: $2.46
- November 1996: $2.62
- November 1998: $2.10
- November 2000: $2.95
- November 2002: $2.68
- November 2004: $3.57
- November 2006: $3.62
- November 2008: $3.72
- November 2010: $4.20
- November 2012: $5.01
- November 2014: $4.23
- November 2016: $3.18
- November 2018: $3.69
- November 2020: $2.77
- November 2022: $4.34
- November 2024: $3.32
- November 2026: $4.14
Keith Laing is an automotive reporter on the National Trending Desk at USA TODAY. Contact Keith at klaing@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump faces 'highest ever' Election Day gas prices: How they compare
