Gas Prices Average $4.14 a Gallon on Election Day as Fuel Costs Weigh on Voters

The national average price for a gallon of gasoline stood at $4.14 on Tuesday, according to AAA, as Americans voted in midterm elections with fuel costs near the top of their concerns. GasBuddy put the average at $4.12 a gallon for gasoline and $6.28 for diesel, and its head of petroleum analysis, Patrick De Haan, called it a new Election Day record in a post on X on Tuesday.

AAA’s average has stayed above $4 a gallon since April, according to USA Today. President Donald Trump told supporters at a Nov. 1 rally in Iowa that prices would fall when the war with Iran ends, saying, “By the way, when that [Iran] war ends, you’re gonna see gasoline coming down.”

An Oct. 8 poll from Navigator Research found 76% of registered voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of gas prices, against 20% who approve. The same poll found 73% disapprove of his handling of inflation and the cost of living, against 23% who approve, and 62% disapprove of his job performance overall, against 36% who approve.

What drivers paid on past Election Days

USA Today’s review of Energy Information Administration data compared the first week of November in election years going back to 1994. On an inflation-adjusted comparison, past Election Days ran higher: the list put the 2024 average at $3.32, the 2022 average at $4.34 and the 2012 average at $5.01. The record claim therefore depends on whether prices are adjusted for inflation.

Where prices go from here

De Haan wrote in a Nov. 2 blog post that average gasoline prices fell in nearly every state over the last week and diesel declined in most states, as refinery maintenance wraps up and seasonal demand fades with cooler weather. He wrote that whether new attacks occur or a truce takes hold around the Strait of Hormuz, along with continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, will decide where prices head as the holidays approach.

Reporting based on coverage by USA Today.