Biden, Eyeing Polls, Promises Action on Gas Prices ‘Next Week’

President Biden is promising to address one of the biggest liabilities facing his party in next month’s midterms, high gas prices, in the wake of a poll that suggests a majority of independents would be more likely to vote for Republicans unless the outlook improves.A well-known Republican pollster, Trafalgar Group, reported Thursday that its polling found that more than 93 percent of Republican respondents and 56 percent of independents said that rising gas prices would make them more likely to vote Republican this November.Just more than 21 percent of independents said the issue would make them more likely to vote for Democrats, as did 76 percent of Democrats surveyed.Mr. Biden has been under increasing scrutiny over his handling of American policy on oil production and prices.The president of the Convention of States, a committee that supports passing amendments to restrict the government’s spending and power, blames Mr. Biden’s “far-left energy policies” for the rise in gas prices. “From recklessly depleting our nation’s strategic oil reserves, to pressuring OPEC countries to postpone cuts in oil production through the November elections, it’s clear that they’re playing politics with our pocketbooks,” the group’s president, Mark Meckler, said.The poll comes as gas prices are expected to rise heading into the midterms, in large part because the OPEC+ oil cartel announced last week that it would slash production, a move that Mr. Biden’s diplomats tried to pressure Riyadh to head off until after the election.“We presented Saudi Arabia with analysis to show that there was no market basis to cut production targets, and that they could easily wait for the next OPEC meeting to see how things developed,” the National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, said Thursday.The head of petroleum analysis at Gas Buddy, Patrick De Haan, said that the move by OPEC+ would likely drive prices up and exacerbate any other future shocks to the market.“OPEC’s decision is likely to boost gas prices by 10 to 30 cents a gallon as well as diesel prices, jet fuel, and everything derived from crude oil,” he said.Electorally, the specter of rising gas prices, stubbornly high inflation, and a looming recession all create headwinds for Democrats less than a month from the midterms.In generic ballot polling, forecasters are split on which party holds the lead, with FiveThirtyEight giving Democrats a 1-point advantage and RealClearPolitics showing Republicans up by seven-tenths of a point.Bad economic news could play into the GOP’s hand, and the party has been trying to focus the election as a referendum on Mr. Biden and the economy.According to a Gallup poll released last week, 51 percent of voters trust the GOP more in terms of “keeping the country prosperous,” compared to 41 percent who put more trust in the Democrats.Mr. Biden and other Democrats have been working double-time to change that perception. Last week, Mr. Biden warned that Republicans would make inflation worse if they took control of Congress.“This is a choice between two very different ways of looking at the economy,” Mr. Biden said, adding that Republicans would make “every kitchen table cost” rise while cutting taxes on corporations.In a visit to Los Angeles Thursday, the president stressed that gas prices remained too high and that he would have something to say on the issue next week. He did not provide further details.

Biden, Eyeing Polls, Promises Action on Gas Prices ‘Next Week’

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