Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of CSP Daily News stories that will highlight issues and races of interest to the convenience-store industry.
WASHINGTON -- This summer's high gasoline prices opened a door for Democrats as they offered messages aimed at unseating the status quo. But as the prices have been falling in recent weeks, Republicans have found their opportunity to trumpet their strength and leadership.
There were predictions just last month that Americans would soon be paying $4 a gallon, according to a story [image-nocss] in the New York Daily News, but the average price nationwide Wednesday for a gallon of regular was $2.60, a 40-cent drop from a month ago, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.
To the delight of the GOP in Ohio, Missouri and Tennessee, where Republicans are defending vulnerable Senate seats, gasoline is selling up to 30 cents below the national average.
Falling gasoline prices effectively act like a tax cut for American families who've been feeling the pinch at the gas pump, lowering their cost of living and putting more money in their wallet, said House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).
Democrats have repeatedly slammed the White House and the GOP for failing to counter the more than $3-a-gallon reality that many Americans had faced. The thing that really stuns me about Republicans is they think Americans are happy paying $45 instead of $50 to fill their gas tanks. It's still a lot of money, and this Congress has done nothing to bring prices down, said Bill Burton, Democratic congressional campaign committee spokesperson.
With $3-a-gallon gasoline near the top of the list of voters' frustrations with the status quo, some challengers seeking to unseat the Republican majority in Congress this November found a gimmick that they think will resonate with voters, according to a report from McClatchy Newspapers.
In Washington state, Gas Pump Man, a campaign volunteer disguised in a leotard and mask, has been making appearances at filling stations on behalf of Democratic challenger Darcy Burner to accuse the local congressman, Republican Dave Reichert, of being too cozy with the oil industry.
In North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio, the Democratic candidates themselves are rolling up their sleeves and filling up cars and minivans for half-price or less, as low as $1.20 a gallon. Their campaigns are picking up the difference in price.
Petroleum prices are affected by trends bigger than Congress, including global and Mideast tensions, the growth of China and India, and projected supply shortages, analysts said. But across the country, Democratic challengers are playing up how much Republican incumbents received in campaign contributions from oil companies and any votes cast to help the oil industry.
Democrats' recent gas-station fancy began with Larry Kissell, a schoolteacher and former textile worker from Biscoe, N.C., who launched his cheap-gasoline promotion August 3 as part of a long-shot candidacy against GOP Rep. Robin Hayes, according to a McClatchy Newspapers report. Regular unleaded had been selling for $2.89 a gallon in Biscoe, but Kissell offered it that day for $1.22 a gallon, which is what he said it cost when Hayes was elected eight years ago.
It was amazing how many people waited in line for an hour and a half or two hours. We had over 500 people come through, he said. They were all smiles, all, Thank you for understanding' what they're going through.
Soon after, Democrat Mike Weaver held a similar event to campaign against Republican Rep. Ron Lewis in Kentucky. Other campaigns also are considering the idea.
Republicans say it's hypocritical for Democrats to campaign for cheaper gasoline while opposing more domestic drilling off the coast or in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Democrats counter that those ventures probably wouldn't reduce prices at the pump and could hurt the environment. Both parties say they favor research to develop more renewable energy, but nobody claims that would bring down gasoline prices anytime soon.
Republicans are suggesting that Democrats' gasoline events might run afoul of federal campaign law, which prohibits payment in exchange for votes. But Trevor Potter, a campaign-finance lawyer and former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, said the gasoline events sounded comparable to handing out campaign T-shirts or food at a rally. I think it's legal so long as they don't say we're giving you cheap gas in return for proof that you voted today, he told McClatchy.
[Tomorrow, CSP Daily News will begin breaking down several Senate election races that could play a large role in future c-store issues. For a complete look at this election season and how it relates to the industry, watch for the October issue of CSP magazine.]
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