Radio host Hugh Hewitt said Friday on Fox News that Republicans could enter the 2026 midterms with a clear advantage if they keep their message centered on affordability and energy costs.
President Donald Trump dismissed “affordability” as a “Democrat scam,” even as Republicans debate how to counter Democrats’ 2025 strategy of centering their campaigns on the nation’s ongoing affordability crisis. During a panel discussion on “Special Report with Breit Baier,” Hewitt said the GOP stands to benefit if the election remains a referendum on rising prices and the Biden administration’s economic record.
“I think if the message remains ‘Affordability decides elections,’ Republicans are going to like next November because most prices depend upon energy. And the energy production policies that you saw Secretary [Chris] Wright refer to there and Secretary Burgum over at Interior, are bringing the cost of oil and gas down,” Hewitt told host Bret Baier. “I was in Fort Worth this week. Gas costs $2.55 in Fort Worth this week. I was kind of surprised at how low it is. In the Beltway it’s about $3.50. And out in California, it’s almost $5, $5.50 on average, depends on where you live. But it’s going down.”
The national average for regular gasoline fell below $3 this week for the first time in four years, settling at $2.99 since Tuesday. Analysts say weaker demand, cheaper winter-blend fuel and lower crude prices near $60 a barrel are all driving the decline.
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Hewitt said Republicans can seize a winning issue if they emphasize how energy costs influence food prices, transportation, and the broader cost of living.
“So, if the focus stays on the price of gas and the price of food, which is impacted by the cost of energy as well, it’s going to be a winning issue come November of next year, but that production has got to keep going, right?” Hewitt asked. “And [Interior Secretary Doug] Burgum got to keep pumping out the oil. And I think that’s a fact what’s going to happen.”
Trump addressed the affordability issue and told reporters his administration is driving prices down. (RELATED: ‘The Country Has Turned Away From That’: Brit Hume Shares Real Message Behind Mamdani’s Constant ‘Affordability’ Push)
“So we are bringing prices down. Way down. Beef is coming down now. We have done certain magic. Beef is coming down. We inherited horrible prices. We inherited, really, the worst, again, the worst inflation in history. We inherited that. When I came in, that was what he had, and we fixed inflation. And we fixed almost everything if you want to know the truth, including eight wars. We got one to go, including eight wars,” the president said.
After Democrats scored a string of prominent victories in November, Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair told Politico that Republicans would redirect their messaging toward affordability ahead of the midterms. Blair said Trump knows economic recoveries aren’t instantaneous but believes the underlying indicators are improving.
“The president is very keyed into what’s going on, and he recognizes, like anybody, that it takes time to do an economic turnaround, but all the fundamentals are there, and I think you’ll see him be very, very focused on prices and cost of living,” Blair told the outlet.
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