Prices posted on March 18, 2026 at a gas station in downtown Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Matthew Hoen | Null Photo | Getty Images
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Tuesday launched a digital ad campaign targeting President Donald Trump and the Republican Party over rising gas prices during the Iran war.
The six-second ad, first shared with CNBC, shows prices at gas pumps increasing and the final image reads, “DC Republicans did it!” Your ad will run on the next day meta The Facebook and Instagram platforms are geo-targeted to show viewers when they are at or near a gas station in all 44 of DCCC’s “Participating Districts.”
“Another day, another broken promise from Mr. Trump and House Republicans,” DCCC communications director Courtney Rice said in a statement. “Now, when voters fill up their gas tank, they will be reminded once again that the D.C. Republican Party is to blame for gas prices and everything else being too high.”
Both Democrats and Republicans have made housing affordability a top priority ahead of the crucial 2026 midterm elections, as Republicans seek to protect their slim majorities. Democrats need to win just three seats to take control of the House.
But the Iran war, which President Trump launched on February 28, has complicated matters for Republicans due to soaring oil prices and a depressed stock market. The Democratic Party launched a fierce attack.
“Trump tariffs. Health insurance costs. Gas prices. ICE brutality. Reckless wars. Republicans have made America far more affordable and far more dangerous. What’s going on with the Golden Age?” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D.N.Y.) posted on X on Monday.
President Trump has not set a clear end point to the war, saying just Friday that he has no intention of agreeing to a ceasefire. But on Monday, he announced on Truth Social that he had ordered the U.S. military to halt attacks on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.
As a result, U.S. stock futures rose, the dollar weakened against other major currencies and oil prices fell.
But gas prices still rose as the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for much of the world’s oil trade, remained effectively closed. The national average gas price as of Monday was $3.96 per gallon, up from $2.94 a month earlier, according to AAA. The Trump administration and other Republicans are urging patience.
“The goal, of course, is to get it under control as quickly as possible,” U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Streets” on Monday. “But I want to remind the American people that for 47 years, we’ve been under threat from Iran, which has artificially inflated energy prices for decades.” “We are currently experiencing a period of short-term disruption, but the long-term benefits will be huge.”
The ad will air in 23 states across the country targeted by the DCCC, a political committee that works to elect Democratic candidates to Congress. These states include California, where gas prices are approaching $6 a gallon, and Alaska and Arizona, where gas prices are above $4.50 a gallon.
