March 09, 2026 11:37 AM UTC

Gabe Evans Goes To War On Your Wallet

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• by: Colorado Pols

In December, Rep. Gabe Evans celebrated a decline in gas prices nationwide that Colorado in particular benefited from:

The reasons for the drop in prices at the pump over the last six months are of course too complicated for House Republicans to take sole credit for, and some factors behind the decline like a slowing economy overall are not things America’s Most Vulnerable Incumbent™ should want to own. But in January, Evans did it again:

On February 27th, Rep. Evans co-authored an op-ed in The Hill taking proud ownership of your price at the pump: “Republicans have the playbook for energy prices.”

As the representative of Colorado’s 8th District — home to one of the highest energy-producing counties in the U.S. — Congressman Evans is proud to be one of the first freshmen in 14 years placed on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. This seat has given him the opportunity to both introduce and advocate for commonsense policies that will continue to make energy a winning issue for Republicans in 2026.

In the Working Families Tax Cuts, Republicans passed tax incentives that allow innovators to do what they do best — develop cutting-edge technologies that provide reliable clean power to millions. In the Trump administration’s executive orders, new nuclear energy is surging forward, with the potential to power millions of homes and a new wave of American manufacturing with safe, affordable and reliable energy.

Over the last year, gas prices have fallen to their lowest point since 2021, providing tangible relief to everyday Americans.

Literally one day after this op-ed was published, President Donald Trump announced that the country was now in a “regime change” war against Iran, the world’s fifth-largest producer of oil. Gabe Evans, loyal Trump soldier that he is, threw his support behind war in Iran the same day:

Operation Epic Fury is a necessary step to eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapon capabilities, eliminate imminent threats to the United States and our allies, and defend our core national security interests. The United States has strong support from ally nations in the Middle East and will help liberate the Iranian people.

As we enter day ten of the war on Iran with no end in sight, as the Washington Post reports, it is increasingly evident that one of Gabe Evans’ statements is in direct conflict with the other:

Oil prices soared above $100 a barrel on Monday as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran entered its 10th day and fears of a prolonged conflict sent shock waves through global energy markets, with multiple Iranian retaliatory strikes reported overnight across the region…

The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to $119.50 early Monday but later was trading close to $103 as refineries in the gulf came under attack and concerns mounted over shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow choke point through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits daily.

Of course, President Trump not only says don’t worry about spiking gas prices, but higher gas prices are your patriotic duty:

Here in Colorado, as an astute reader has already posted today, the average price for unleaded is up over 50 cents a gallon from one week ago. That increase effectively erases the gas price drop Coloradans had enjoyed since Trump returned to the Oval Office, and the full effect of skyrocketing crude prices has yet to make its way to the consumer gas pump. It’s most likely going to get a lot worse.

The failure of the Trump administration to meaningfully bring down the rising consumer costs despite affordability being the number one issue that voters elected him to solve was already hurting Republicans down the ticket before Trump launched a war that was practically guaranteed to roil global oil markets and spike prices for American consumers. With the public solidly against Trump’s “war of choice” to overthrow the Iranian regime, the blame for economic pain that follows will fall entirely on Trump and Republicans who backed this latest and greatest foreign entanglement. Gabe Evans, who trails the already unpopular President in polls, has absolutely no business running cover for Trump’s war on Iran. The longer the war drags on, the more collateral damage an already vulnerable Evans suffers.

And, of course, all of this assumes the avoidance of worst-case scenarios we would rather not speculate about in this space.