Dems pumped about gas prices

WASHINGTON — Filling up your gas tank soon? Don't be surprised if a Democrat is waiting at the station.

With $3-a-gallon gas near the top of voters' frustrations with the status quo, some challengers seeking to unseat congressional Republicans in November have found a gimmick they think will resonate with voters — and they're pumping it for all it's worth.

In Washington state, "Gas Pump Man," a campaign volunteer dressed in a leotard and mask, has been making appearances at filling stations on behalf of Democratic challenger Darcy Burner to accuse Republican Rep. Dave Reichert of being too cozy with the oil industry.

In parts of North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio, Democratic candidates themselves are rolling up their sleeves and filling up cars and minivans for half-price or less. Their campaigns are picking up the difference in price.

Petroleum prices are affected by trends larger than Congress, including global and Mideast tensions, the economic growth of China and India, projected supply shortages and speculation, analysts said.

But across the country, Democratic challengers are playing up how much Republican incumbents received in campaign contributions from oil companies and any votes cast to help the oil industry.

One of the latest events was held Thursday by Democrat John Cranley, a Cincinnati City Council member seeking to unseat Republican Rep. Steve Chabot in what national analysts consider a competitive race.

Chabot's campaign wasn't amused.

"Voters understand this was a stunt," spokeswoman Jessica Towhey said.

It wasn't so long ago that Democrats were accusing Chabot of political stunts. Last year, he championed a short-lived Republican effort to give Americans $500 tax credits to offset higher fuel costs.

Democrats' gas-station fancy began with Larry Kissell, a schoolteacher and former textile worker from Biscoe, N.C., who began his cheap-gas promotion Aug. 3 as part of a longshot candidacy against Republican Rep. Robin Hayes. Regular unleaded had been selling for $2.89 a gallon in Biscoe, but Kissell offered it that day for $1.22 a gallon, which is what he says it cost when Hayes was elected eight years ago.

"It was amazing how many people waited in line for an hour and a half or two hours. We had over 500 people come through," he said.

Soon after, Democrat Mike Weaver held a similar event to campaign against Rep. Ron Lewis in Kentucky. Other campaigns are considering the idea.

"Gas Pump Man" doesn't provide discount gas. Instead he waves his pump and urges harried drivers to honk if they want lower gas prices. By his side, volunteers hold banners urging motorists to "Tell Congressman Reichert to take back the $14 billion in subsidies he gave to big oil."

Reichert is unfazed, saying, "I rarely hear a lot about the gas prices."

Despite serving in Congress for just 19 months, he's philosophical about Burner trying to pin responsibility for the energy crisis on his shoulders.

"Part of the political game, of course, is to find the things not going right in the country and to blame it on the political party that happens to be in power," said Reichert, attributing high gasoline prices to stepped-up demand in China and the United States, among other things.

Republicans say it's hypocritical for Democrats to campaign for cheaper gas while opposing more domestic drilling off the coast or in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Democrats counter that those ventures probably wouldn't reduce prices at the pump and could hurt the environment.

Both parties say they favor research to develop more renewable energy, but nobody claims that would bring down gas prices anytime soon.

Republicans have suggested that Democrats' gasoline events might run afoul of federal campaign law, which prohibits payment in exchange for votes.

But Trevor Potter, a campaign-finance lawyer and former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, said the gas events sounded comparable to handing out campaign T-shirts or food at a rally. "I think it's legal so long as they don't say we're giving you cheap gas in return for proof that you voted today," he said.

Material from the Chicago Tribune is included in this report.