Debate on fuel price hikes filtering into Kansas campaigns for US Senate, governor

TOPEKA — Vice President JD Vance blamed “tinpot dictators” in the Middle East, former President Joe Biden and other Democrats for surging gasoline and diesel prices in Kansas.

Vance didn’t attribute higher U.S. fuel prices on President Donald Trump or Republicans controlling Congress during his Tuesday speech in Topeka designed to bolster the campaign of Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, who finds himself in a tight race with Democrat Adam Hamilton.

Vance pointed to loss of 20% of California’s refining capacity while Biden was president and Democrats’ proposals for the Green New Deal emphasizing greater reliance on renewable energy, including wind and solar, and less dependence on fossil fuels like oil and coal.

“They talk about affordability, but they are the ones supporting the green new scam,” Vance told the crowd in Topeka. “The Biden administration shut down 20% of America’s West Coast refineries, leaving us more reliant than ever on tinpot dictators in the Middle East.”

“You all will hear a lot of people say that gas prices are too high. I understand that. It’s true. But it’s also true that the price of gas goes up each time a foreign leader in the Middle East throws a tantrum,” the vice president added.

In Kansas and in other states, the Nov. 3 election prompted political disputes about factors influencing fuel prices. Marshall has argued the true culprit was Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion in 2022 and the affinity of Democrats for energy policy reform tied to climate change. Hamilton blamed Trump’s war against Iran.

“The real problem with the cost of diesel in particular is, No. 1, the Ukraine war,” Marshall said. “Beyond that, why are we dependent upon diesel imports? It’s because of the Green New Deal policy that my opponent supports. We have not had a new refinery built since 1978. We’ve lost 90 refineries since 1990. The problem right now is refining capacity.”

Marshall predicted ending the Ukraine-Russia war would promptly lower gasoline and diesel prices in the United States. However, he said, placing Democrats in control of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate would prevent consumers from benefitting from potential price declines.

Hamilton, who founded the largest United Methodist congregation in the United States, said he supported elements of energy policy contained in the Green New Deal. He said Marshall’s insistence on blaming Ukraine for defending its sovereignty was designed to mislead Kansas voters into believing the Trump administration’s attack on Iran wasn’t linked to the rising price of fuel.

Before the United States attacked Iran in February the price of diesel was about $3.62 per gallon but climbed to $6.53 per gallon by September. The escalation in diesel costs forced Kansas farmers to spend an extra $83 million during the spring planting season.

“This happened in response to the war in Iran that didn’t need to happen,” said Hamilton, who has called for an end to the conflict. “It’s an unnecessary war. This is why the prices went to record highs, and Roger Marshall supported that. I support the Ukrainians being able to defend themselves. This is something Roger Marshall has waffled on.”

Hamilton said the president’s decision to drop economic sanctions against Russia to allow importation of diesel to the United States was a blunder.

“It’s a disaster,” he said. “Why in the world would we agree to do this with Russia? Many Republicans are saying the same thing. This is selling out our allies and Ukrainians.”

These military conflict and global energy market pressures, as well as other affordability issues confronting Kansans, bled into the Kansas race for governor.

Republican Ty Masterson, who endorsed the U.S. attack on Iran, said during a recent forum in Baxter Springs that fuel pricing was a piece of the affordability conversation along with property taxes, insurance, housing and grocery costs.

“The big problem with diesel prices is not Iran,” Masterson said. “We haven’t built a refinery in this country in 50 years. We have a bottleneck in refinement and that is legacy policy.”

Masterson said Democrats “hate oil and gas” and he linked the refining capacity shortage to political advocacy of the Green New Deal.

“I’m gonna be the most pro-oil-and-gas governor we’ve seen,” Masterson said.

Cindy Holscher, the Democratic nominee for governor, said Kansas families were paying $4,700 more on fuel and essentials due to the Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs and the war with Iran.

“Ty Masterson has championed the war in Iran that sent diesel prices skyrocketing, and now he is lying to rural Kansans about why they are paying so much at the pump,” Holscher said. “Once again, Masterson is surrendering to his party bosses in Washington and the oil and gas lobby instead of standing up for the Kansas farmers and rural communities who are bearing these costs. Kansans deserve a governor who will tell them the truth.”

On Wednesday, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report changes its prediction in the Kansas governor’s race from lean Republican to toss up. The report followed a Holscher campaign poll indicating the gubernatorial race was deadlocked at 47% to 47% and the infusion of about $1.5 million in new data center industry contributions to Masterson’s campaign.