With the U.S. midterms less than two weeks away, former Vice President Kamala Harris said voting is the answer to higher prices, which she blamed on President Donald Trump and the war in Iran no one wants.

Real People Are Feeling It

In a post on X Tuesday, Harris said the cost of "everything from groceries and gas to housing and childcare is going up because of choices made by Donald Trump's administration."

She said too much of the conversation has centered on Trump's ballroom and golf outings, and too little on how his policies hit real people.

"The midterms are our chance to elect leaders who will fight for the people," Harris added.

Gas Prices and Rate Hikes Add Pressure

Gas prices at the pump have shot up since the war began, with the national average at $4.2786 a gallon on Tuesday, down from $4.3413 a week ago but well above $3.0361 a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association. Diesel averaged $6.3199, up from $6.2787 a week earlier and $3.6192 a year ago.

Consumer prices rose 3.7% in the 12 months through September, up from 3.4% in August. Gasoline was up 34.2% from a year ago, while food prices rose 2.5%.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that the jump in inflation is an "energy shock" and that prices will fall once the Iran conflict is over.

Economist Mark Zandi estimated last week that the Iran war had cost the average household nearly $2,000, about half its income gain over the past eight months.

Democrats Favored Ahead of Nov. 3 Midterms

Prediction market Polymarket odds give Democrats a 92% chance of taking the House and a 65% chance of taking the Senate.

A Financial Times/Focaldata poll released this month put Harris at 30% for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.

Price Action: The United States Oil Fund (NYSE:USO) closed 0.12% lower at $160.61 and gained 0.83% in extended trading on Tuesday. The United States Brent Oil Fund (NYSE:BNO) fell 0.37% to close at $66.87 and 0.99% in after-hours trading.

Market data rankings indicate that the United States Oil Fund has a Momentum score in the 97th percentile and positive price trends across the short, medium, and long term.