Tables turn as Republicans face gas-price attacks they once used on Democrats [View all]

Source: Reuters

April 22, 2026 6:05 AM EDT Updated 1 hour ago


BRIGHTON, Michigan, April 22 (Reuters) - Tom Barrett tapped into voter frustration over high gas prices as part of his successful 2024 run for Congress in Michigan. Now the Republican is on the defensive on that same issue as Democrats see an opportunity to flip his seat. "Gas in Michigan is four bucks a gallon," Barrett said as he filmed himself filling up his tank ​at a gas station in August 2023.

"When I'm elected to Congress, we'll produce our own energy. We'll get gas under control so that this will be a lot more affordable for families like yours and families like mine.". Nearly three years after he ‌posted that video to social media, average gas prices in Michigan are back near the same level, briefly topping $4 in early April before settling around $3.80 this week, up 27% since the Iran war began on February 28.

The surge has put Republicans who campaigned against high fuel costs under Democratic President Joe Biden on the defensive heading into November’s midterm elections, with control of the House at stake and the Senate potentially in play. The vulnerability is especially acute for Barrett, who represents one of the country's most competitive districts as a U.S. congressman and is already facing Democratic attacks on the issue. In an interview with Reuters, Barrett acknowledged that gasoline prices were squeezing his constituents' finances but said the war was justified ​on national security grounds and expressed hope that prices would fall.

"Gas is an issue that affects people's livelihoods, the affordability of things ... I'm not dismissing any of that," he said after the opening of a new campaign office in Brighton, a small city 45 miles west of ​Detroit. "But that doesn't mean gas is going to be the same price on Election Day as it is today.". That optimism has been undercut by both President Donald Trump and his energy secretary, Chris Wright, who have acknowledged that gasoline ⁠prices could remain high through Election Day.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tables-turn-republicans-face-gas-price-attacks-they-once-used-democrats-2026-04-22/