By Patrick Rupinen, Staff Writer
Gov. Mike DeWine’s gas tax removal, while providing a short-term relief from the price of gas, will not save the Republican party as the midterm elections approach.
The decision to remove the gas tax is a ploy to distract people from the fact that President Donald Trump has sky rocketed gas prices through his war in with Iran, which has not been approved by Congress and is not popular among the public.
Most Americans disapprove of how Trump has handled the war in Iran. It is not hard to see why gas prices are higher than last year on average. This has led to Trump having lost support as most Americans increasingly disapprove of the job he is doing.
By giving a gas tax holiday that will end in December, DeWine is not trying to gift the people lower gas prices. He is trying to save the Republican party this midterm season, while the Republican Party themselves have failed to restrain the Trump administration’s reckless middle eastern policy.
By doing a gas tax holiday, DeWine is taking money away from necessary state functions. The gas tax provides funding for Ohio roads and for the state police; the suspension of the tax is estimated to cost around $7 million in tax income.
Staff Writer Patrick Rupinen argues that Gov. Mike DeWine and the Republican Party are taking desperate measures to shore up support this mid-term election season
The state is planning on covering this by pulling from overstate funds. So, when you notice the fact that there are more potholes this spring, you can thank DeWine for cutting the gas tax.
The reason the Republicans are taking these measures is because they are facing a blue wave in the coming midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Polls have not been good for the Republican Party so far. Polls show them likely to lose their House majority and at risk of losing their Senate majority as well.
Losing the Senate majority six of the eight toss up Senate seats are in states Trump won in 2024. One such case is North Carolina which went for Trump in the presidential election but now leans Democrat.
The alarm bells should defiantly be ringing in the Republican Party’s headquarters right now as they face potentially losing both the House and Senate.
While it is not a given that Democrats will win both the House and Senate polling has proven too often be inaccurate. It should come as a shock that no one is currently happy with how the economy is going. With expenses rising and people being unable to afford daily necessities, it should not be surprising that the party in power is facing a very unhappy electorate.
This gas tax will not meaningfully help people by cutting 40 cents when the gas has already gone up a dollar. To put it simply, cutting the gas taxes hurts Ohio in the long run while also being too little too late.