An Alaskan senator finds himself in a surprising predicament, seeking financial aid from his supporters to cover gas expenses after his endorsement of Donald Trump’s military actions in Iran.
Since Trump’s aggressive moves in the Middle East began in February, gas prices have surged dramatically. The intermittent opening and closing of the Strait of Hormuz have contributed to this surge.
A crucial passage for global energy, the Strait of Hormuz sees about 20% of the world’s oil flow through its waters, controlled by Iran. This has led to significant price hikes at gas stations, with some regions, like Alaska, experiencing costs exceeding $5 per gallon.
Senator Dan Sullivan, among those grappling with these rising costs, is particularly affected.
Facing reelection, Sullivan, a Republican, has resorted to appealing for donor assistance to manage the soaring fuel prices. An email obtained by Raw Story, titled ‘Alaska Needs You,’ illustrates this plea for support.
“Securing a victory to ensure Alaska remains pivotal in our national defense and energy strategy requires time, funding, and resources,” Sullivan conveyed.
‘To continue ushering in America’s Golden Age and delivering results for Alaska, I’m personally reaching out to you to ask for a grassroots donation of $3, $5, or $10.’
Sullivan said the donation would go toward paying for gas to help visit isolated areas, as well as to recruit volunteers, run digital ads, and invest in integral mail pieces to ‘keep Alaska voters up-to-date.’
Senator Dan Sullivan is begging his donors for small donations to help pay for his campaign trail gas bills as he runs for reelection
Sullivan is a strong backer of Donald Trump’s war in Iran, which is driving up gas prices
‘I would be so grateful if you joined my team today,’ he concluded the email, according to Raw Story.
His shameless begging comes as he doubled down on his support of the US war on Iran.
The Republican told his Democratic colleagues to ‘wake up’ about the Iranian conflict.
‘This country’s been at war with us for almost a half century, and they’ve killed thousands and wounded thousands of our best and brightest,’ he told the Armed Services Committee in March.
‘It’s been a bipartisan goal of every president to make sure the Iranians don’t get nukes and don’t get ballistic missiles, and that’s what the President and our brave troops are undertaking right now.’
The war in Iran has driven gas prices to an average of $5.27 per gallon in Alaska, which is nearly $1 higher than the national average of $4.56, according to AAA.
Within a month, gas prices in Alaska have gone up 62 cents, according to AAA. Compared to a year ago, it has gone up $1.64.
Diesel is nearing the $6 mark at a state average of $5.87.
In many places, like California (pictured) and Alaska, gas prices have gone up to above $5. The average in Alaska is $5.27
In some areas, heating fuel is $10 per gallon. In Bethel, a village in Northwest Alaska, the price of heating fuel is $17.50 and has been for the past year, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
In April, vendors warned residents the price could double due to the conflict in Iran.
‘We’re looking at, maybe, a survival scenario for rural Alaska,’ Ingemar Mathiasson, energy manager for the Northwest Arctic Borough, told the outlet.
‘At those prices, I would imagine that people are going to try to move into Anchorage. I don’t know if you can heat your house at over $20 a gallon.’
Bethel City Manager, Lori Strickler, said she is preparing for the city to face up to a 30 percent increase in fuel prices over the next year, as the precious liquid can sometimes only be delivered once a year in some areas.
‘We don’t know what it’s going to look like, but we do know that once that last barge hits, our costs are locked in,’ Strickler told KYUK.
The first bulk fuel supply is expected to hit Bethel in June.
A rule of thumb for a family is to get 1,200 gallons, which could cost $10,000, Gwen Holdmann, who is the chief scientist at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, told the outlet.
Smoke rises from a Lebanese village after an Israeli strike on Wednesday. Trump has promised the war would end soon as peace talks were in the ‘final stages’
A vessel anchored off the Strait of Hormuz, where 20 percent of the world’s oil goes through. Iran controls the strait
The President said on Wednesday that the US is in the ‘final stages’ of peace talks with Iran, but added things could get ‘nasty,’ while Iran called the idea of forcing them to surrender ‘an illusion.’
‘We’ll either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty but hopefully that won’t happen,’ he said, speaking at Joint Base Andrews.
‘We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens,’ he added.
Trump reiterated later on Wednesday that the end of the conflict was within reach.
‘It could go very quickly, or a few days, it could be a few days, but it could go very quickly,’ he said.
He described the conclusion as being ‘very right on the borderline,’ saying: ‘Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly.’
‘We’re all ready to go. We have to get the right answers. It would have to be a complete 100 percent good answers.’
But, he said: ‘Hopefully those people will make a deal,’ and added that he was willing to wait in order to save lives.
