On Tuesday, the RNC held 12 voter registration events at gas stations throughout Arizona to highlight what they call the “Biden Gas Hike” and recruit new Republican voters in their effort to take back the U.S. Senate and House in November.
Tuesday was the last day for Arizonans to register to vote in the upcoming 2022 General Election.
The RNC’s voter registration campaign took place at gas stations in Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Flagstaff, Payson, Buckeye, Casa Grande, Marana, Vail and elsewhere.
According to the RNC, Republicans have already built a “significant” voter registration lead over Democrats heading into the midterm elections in Arizona. Activist believe the gas station voter registration events will further boost Republican strength before November.
The gas station events come as gas prices in Maricopa County surge back to over $5.00 per gallon with the average statewide over $4.56 per gallon.
The RNC launched gas station voter registration events here in Arizona this March as the Biden Gas Hike first sent gas prices soaring.
“Registering new voters at Arizona gas stations has been a huge success because the Biden Gas Hike and Arizona Democrats’ lock-step support for higher gas prices and higher energy bills are punishing everyday Arizonans. Republicans’ voter registration advantage will help Republican candidates win up and down the ballot to deliver relief from the Biden Gas Hike,” said RNC Spokesperson Ben Petersen.
Republicans argue that Senator Mark Kelly, as a Democrat who has voted in lockstep with Democratic Party leadership, has worked to block American energy production and raise energy costs for consumers. They note that Kelly voted to shut down the Keystone XL pipeline four times, voted to ban fracking three times, and voted to stop new energy production on federal lands.
Kelly was the deciding vote for the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, which many argue has made energy and gas more expensive.
Kelly supported the Biden Administration’s inflation-driving decision to ship oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to foreign countries including China, and Kelly also voted against an amendment to block sending U.S. strategic oil to China specifically. Kelly’s close China ties were mentioned often in his 2020 Senate campaign.