A Michigan Republican congressman who successfully campaigned against rising fuel costs is now finding himself in the hot seat as gas prices climb once again, creating new political challenges ahead of the midterm elections.
Tom Barrett leveraged voter anger over expensive gasoline during his winning 2024 congressional campaign in Michigan. However, the GOP lawmaker now faces criticism from Democrats who see an opportunity to reclaim his seat using the very same issue Barrett once wielded against them.
“Gas in Michigan is four bucks a gallon,” Barrett declared while recording himself at a gas pump 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.”
Almost three years later, Michigan’s average gas prices have returned to similar levels, briefly exceeding $4 in early April before settling around $3.80 this week – a 27% increase since the Iran conflict started on February 28.
This price surge has placed GOP members who criticized high fuel costs during Joe Biden’s presidency in a difficult position as they approach November’s midterm contests, with House control hanging in the balance and potential Senate implications.
Barrett faces particular vulnerability since he represents one of America’s most competitive congressional districts and is already encountering Democratic criticism on fuel prices.
During a Reuters interview, Barrett admitted that gasoline costs were straining his constituents financially but defended the war on national security grounds while expressing optimism that prices might decrease.
“Gas is an issue that affects people’s livelihoods, the affordability of things … I’m not dismissing any of that,” he stated following a new campaign office launch in Brighton, located 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.”
This hopeful outlook has been challenged by both President Donald Trump and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who have admitted that gasoline prices might stay elevated through Election Day.
Republicans nationwide are struggling with campaign strategies amid high gas prices after using the issue as a political weapon during Biden’s term, when costs peaked above $5 per gallon in June 2022 due to Russia’s Ukraine invasion affecting global energy markets. The recent price increases have worsened GOP electoral prospects, with Americans already frustrated by expensive food, housing, and healthcare.
For numerous Republican candidates, rising gasoline costs have disrupted core campaign plans. While they intend to emphasize Trump’s comprehensive 2025 tax legislation during November elections, higher fuel expenses have complicated efforts to promote promised economic relief for cost-burdened Americans.
A strategist working with a GOP candidate in a competitive House race explained that nominees must support Trump and the war during primaries attracting conservative voters but might need to distance themselves during general elections.
“When the campaign focus becomes independent voters, soft Republicans, folks like that, then Republican candidates may be forced to be critical of the president,” said the strategist, speaking anonymously.
While gasoline wasn’t Barrett’s only 2024 campaign focus, he frequently addressed the topic as part of his anti-inflation platform under Biden. The 22-year Army veteran captured his district by nearly four points, exceeding Trump’s one-point presidential victory margin.
In late July 2024, Barrett shared X platform photos showing gas price displays from four stations, all around $4 per gallon.
Democrats now view fuel prices as a powerful tool for flipping Barrett’s predominantly white district, which centers on Lansing and extends through farmland and small communities toward Detroit’s outer metropolitan area.
On April 13, local Democrats, farmers, and activists assembled at a Lansing-area gas station to protest high fuel and fertilizer costs while demanding war’s end. Protesters carried signs reading “Tom Barrett + Iran War and We Pay” and “Got Gas Pains? Vote Democrat for Relief.”
Bridget Brink, the Democrat who has raised the most funds before her party’s August primary, said she would target Barrett’s war support and resulting gas price spikes if nominated.
Brink, who served as Biden’s Ukraine ambassador, argued that tax relief from Trump’s 2025 legislation covering tips, Social Security benefits, and overtime pay was being negated by rising gas costs.
“When Republicans say they’re cutting your taxes, all of that gets lost in bigger prices on gas, healthcare, groceries, and housing,” she explained. “We’ll be talking about gas prices every week, because we all see it and feel it.”
Earlier this month, Barrett criticized Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” as violating human dignity.
Nevertheless, Barrett opposed a congressional resolution limiting Trump’s war powers and supports preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, arguing current high gas prices result from justified foreign policy decisions, unlike Biden-era increases he attributes to domestic oil production restrictions.
When a Reuters reporter mentioned interviewing a constituent who could only afford $14 worth of gas, Barrett shifted discussion to national security, repeatedly questioning whether she had been asked about Iran’s nuclear program.
“Did you ask her if she thought Iran should develop a nuclear weapon?” Barrett inquired.
Reuters didn’t question the constituent, Danielle Lewis, about Iran’s nuclear capabilities but discussed the war’s gas price impact. Lewis, 39, said she supported Barrett and would probably vote for him in November.
Recent Reuters/Ipsos polling indicates only 36% of Americans support the Iran war.
Beyond war issues, Barrett’s campaign office opening revealed Republicans’ midterm messaging. The congressman promoted the 2025 tax bill, highlighting expanded child tax credit benefits, while fellow House member Lisa McLain outlined attack strategies for attendees.
“I think we make this election a contrast election between normal and crazy, because they are crazy,” McLain said, characterizing Democratic positions on transgender rights and other cultural matters as political weaknesses.
Neither Barrett nor McLain addressed gas prices in their speeches.
Democrat Christine Waugh-Fleischmann, who spends up to $200 weekly on gas for grandchildren visits, believes the district could flip after discussing inflation with Republican friends.
“I do see a lot of people in my conservative neighborhood here who are very upset,” said the 70-year-old art teacher while fueling her SUV at the same Charlotte, Michigan Quality Dairy station where Barrett made his 2023 social media video.
“It’s gas. It’s grocery prices, it’s healthcare costs.”
Alexander Melton, 38, an HVAC technician, said he still planned supporting Barrett despite higher gas prices increasing his expenses, citing alignment with his conservative principles.
However, he recognizes a warning from the 2024 election for all politicians campaigning on high gas prices.
“We don’t dictate the price of gas. We’re getting it from overseas, and at this point now we’re at the mercy of everybody else,” Melton observed.
