A Republican senator who has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump’s war on Iran is begging donors for gas money as he faces a tough re-election campaign in November’s midterms.
Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska has repeatedly voted to allow Trump to continue attacking Iran without congressional approval, claiming Tehran has “been at war with us for almost half a century,” Alaska Public Media reported in March.
He also praised Trump for supposedly “making sure the Iranians don’t get nukes and don’t get ballistic missiles,” despite U.S. intelligence assessment findings that Iran was not developing a nuclear weapon and was at least a decade away from achieving one even if it wanted to.
Now, with the war approaching its fourth month and gas prices soaring nationwide—particularly in Alaska—Sullivan is asking donors to chip in for gas money, Raw Story reported.
In a new fundraising email with the subject, “Alaska needs you!!,” Sullivan told his supporters, “Your donation will instantly go to the funds to: Recruit volunteers; Run digital ads; Invest in integral mailpieces to keep Alaska voters up to date; Pay for gas as we visit isolated rural areas of Alaska.”
Sullivan has voted eight times to authorize Trump to wage war without congressional approval, even though by law the president needs Congress’s permission to continue any military campaign past the 60-day mark.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 50-47 to advance a measure that would force Trump to end the war on Iran or win congressional authorization.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was one of four Republicans who joined Democrats in voting to bring the measure to the floor for a vote, citing the expiration of the 60-day limit, but Sullivan once again voted to allow Trump to continue the war.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Sullivan’s campaign for comment.
The president’s war on Iran has brought shipping to a near standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, creating a bottleneck for global oil supplies from the Gulf that has sent prices soaring.
As of Thursday, the average national gas price in the U.S. was $4.56 per gallon, while in Alaska drivers were paying $5.27 per gallon on average, according to data from AAA automotive club.
Prices for gas and heating fuel in rural communities are even higher, with some areas paying $10 per gallon even before the war, and things are only expected to get worse this summer, the Anchorage Daily News reported in April.
About 80 percent of the oil that typically transits the Strait of Hormuz is shipped to refineries in Asia, according to the Daily News. Those refineries in turn produce much of the supply delivered to Western Alaska during the May-to-October maritime delivery season.
Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola is mounting a surprisingly competitive challenge against Sullivan in what many see as a wildcard race that could help determine which party controls the Senate following the November midterms, The New York Times reported this week.
