Looking to leverage Americans’ anger at higher gasoline prices, the Republican National Committee began registering voters right at their local gas pumps in Arizona Saturday.
The first three voter-registration drives near gas stations started Saturday afternoon in Phoenix, Arizona, azcentral.com reported.
“Arizonans are frustrated with paying the record-high gas prices we’ve seen recently, this is an issue that affects almost every single Arizonan,” Ben Petersen, the RNC’s Arizona spokesperson told the publication. “There’s no doubt that everyone is feeling the pain at the pump, so a gas station right now may be the very best possible place for one of our volunteers to have a conversation with someone and get someone signed up to vote.”
Arizona Republican Party volunteers and staff helped register residents outside three gas stations from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the first of what will be a nationwide program to energize individuals angry about the record high gas prices to get to the polls for the midterm elections in November.
According to the news outlet, 34.5% of registered voters in Arizona are Republicans, compared to 31.4% Democrats, and 33.3% Independents.
Petersen said that internal RNC data shows that 80% of newly registered Republican voters cast ballots in the first election conducted after they register, according to the story.
“Registering someone as a Republican voter is one of the most high-impact things we can do with our ground program,” Petersen said.
The Hill reported Saturday that the program is that the RNC expects to expand the program by holding similar registration events across the country “in the coming weeks.”
Republicans are hoping to recapture the House and Senate in the November midterms, and the dropping approval rating of President Joe Biden, as well as rising prices, and foreign policy failures, seem to point to that happening.
Meanwhile, Biden and the Democrats are laying the blame for the high gas costs at the feet of American oil companies and Russian President Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine.
“Last time oil was $96 a barrel, gas was $3.62 a gallon. Now it’s $4.31,” Biden tweeted Thursday. “Oil and gas companies shouldn’t pad their profits at the expense of hardworking Americans.”
Gasoline prices fell back slightly Friday with the national average at $4.27 per gallon, down from $4.33 per gallon on March 11, CBS news reported.
Those prices topped the previous record of $4.10 per gallon in 2008.