Heating oil above 6 dollars a gallon becomes a Senate race issue across New England and Alaska

Rick Russman of Kingston, New Hampshire, spent five decades as a Republican. This winter he plans to heat his home partly with a wood stove, because the oil costs too much, and he plans to vote for the Democrat, Chris Pappas, in one of the most watched Senate races in the country. “Fuel that costs more than 6 dollars a gallon is a huge expense,” Russman told Reuters.

Heating oil has climbed above 6 dollars a gallon nationally, up from about 3.50 dollars a year ago, according to the Energy Information Administration figures cited by Reuters. Diesel, a close cousin of heating oil, has set a record above 6.50 dollars a gallon, and the higher diesel price feeds into the cost of groceries and other goods that move by truck. The shortage traces back to the Iran war, which has disrupted diesel supplies worldwide.

The states that burn the most heating oil are the states where the Senate fight is closest. Maine, New Hampshire and Alaska all depend on the fuel and all hold competitive Senate races on November 3 that could decide whether Republicans keep control of Congress. Democratic candidates in those races have tied the prices directly to President Trump’s war with Iran. Lance Dutson, a Republican strategist in Maine, conceded the problem to Reuters. “The party in power is held responsible for things like that, and it’s so clearly Trump’s fault because of this Iran war,” Dutson said. An October Reuters and Ipsos poll found nearly 80 percent of Americans blame Trump administration policies for higher costs, including energy.

The White House, asked about the criticism, pointed to a concrete step. Reuters was first to report this week that the Energy Department has released heating oil from the government reserve in the Northeast, the stockpile kept for exactly this kind of winter emergency. An analyst told Reuters the release was unlikely to affect prices at the pump or the oil dealer. Winter has not started yet in New England. The bills that decide how voters in those three states feel about the war will arrive with the cold.