DCCC launches digital ad campaign hitting GOP for gas prices
Prices posted at a gas station in Downtown Brooklyn, New York, United States, on March 18, 2026.
Matthew Hoen | Nurfoto | Getty Images
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Tuesday is launching a digital ad campaign targeting President Donald Trump and Republicans over rising gas prices amid the war in Iran.
The six-second ad, first shared with CNBC, shows the price of a gas pump going up, and finally, “DC Republicans Did This!” It shows an image that says: Advertisements will continue to run Meta Facebook and Instagram platforms and is geotargeted to appear when viewers are at or near gas stations on DCCC’s 44th”Regions in Play”
“Another day, another broken promise from Trump and House Republicans,” DCCC Communications Director Courtney Rice said in a statement. “Now when voters fill up at the pump, they will be reminded once again that D.C. Republicans are responsible for gas prices and everything else being too high.”
Both Democrats and Republicans have made domestic affordability a top priority ahead of crucial 2026 midterm elections as the GOP tries to defend narrow majorities. In the House of Representatives, Democrats need to win just three seats to take control of the chamber.
However, the Iran war that Trump started on February 28 complicated the issue for Republicans as oil prices rose and the stock market shook. Democrats went on the offensive.
“Trump Tariffs. Health Insurance Costs. Gas Prices. ICE Brutality. Reckless War. Republicans have made America much cheaper and much more dangerous. How’s this Golden Age thing going?” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DY, sent to x On Monday.
Trump did not specify a clear end point to the war and said Friday he was not open to a ceasefire. But on Monday he announced: Real Social He said he had ordered the US military to halt attacks on Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.
In response, US stock futures rose, the dollar fell against other major currencies, and oil prices fell.
But gas prices remained high as the Strait of Hormuz, the main shipping route for much of the world’s oil trade, remained effectively closed. As of Monday, the national average gas price rose to $3.96 per gallon; this figure was $2.94 a month ago. AAA. The Trump administration and other Republicans have urged patience.
“The goal, of course, is to get these down as quickly as possible. But my appeal to the American people is that we’ve been facing threats from Iran for 47 years, and that threat has been artificially driving up energy prices for decades,” U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Monday. “We’re currently going through a period of short-term disruption, but the long-term benefits will be huge.”
The ad will appear in 23 states across the country, with the DCCC, the political committee working to get Democratic candidates elected to the House of Representatives, targeting areas. These states include California, where gas is approaching $6 per gallon, and Alaska and Arizona, where gas is above $4.50 per gallon.
