Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said the Iran war has overtaken other issues for voters as soaring diesel prices deepen affordability concerns weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Thune Says Iran War Has Pushed Affordability to Forefront

"Right now, the races are — it's more about affordability issues," Thune said Monday on Fox News. "It's the price of diesel in places like Iowa and Kansas and Nebraska and the Midwest, Minnesota." He added that "what's happening in Iran has sort of trumped everything else that's going on."

Fuel costs underline that pressure. AAA put the national diesel average at $6.4531 a gallon on Sept. 28, up from $3.6856 a year earlier and only modestly below the record $6.5276 reached Sept. 22. The Energy Information Administration's latest weekly reading put U.S. on-highway diesel at $6.529 on Sept. 21, with the Midwest at $6.680.

Republicans Seek Relief From Surging Diesel Prices

Republicans have increasingly focused on diesel as farmers and truckers absorb higher costs. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) renewed calls for a temporary diesel export ban, saying high prices were "killing farmers' income." President Donald Trump has backed the idea, though Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned that restricting fuel flows could reduce refinery output and leave the U.S. with less supply.

Economists have also cautioned against quick fixes. In a statement shared with the Associated Press, RSM chief economist Joseph Brusuelas said last week, "The price of diesel touches everything in our economy that needs to move," including groceries. GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said broader use of tax-exempt dyed diesel, another White House option, "does nothing to improve supply or impact price." The administration is weighing several approaches to the diesel crunch.

Polls Show Cost-of-Living Concerns Weighing on Trump

The political backdrop remains difficult for Republicans. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed Sept. 20 found Trump's approval at 32%, while just 17% approved of his handling of the cost of living. Registered voters favored Democrats over Republicans 43% to 35% in a generic midterm question, though national polling does not capture individual state and district races.

A separate AP-KFF survey of more than 2,000 rural registered voters last week found about half said the economy had worsened since Trump returned to office, while groceries, gas and healthcare ranked among their biggest concerns.