The American Automobile Association reported Tuesday that the national average gas price has reached a new all-time high of $4.92 per gallon, an increase of 30 cents in the past week and 62 cents in the past month.
A gallon of regular gas costs five dollars or more in 13 states — California, Nevada, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Alaska, Michigan, Arizona, Indiana, New Jersey, Maine, and Massachusetts — plus the District of Columbia. Another 11 states were less than 10 cents short of that bank-breaking benchmark.
In California, which had the nation's highest gas prices at $6.37 per gallon, pain at the pump could put Orange County districts that swung Democratic during the Trump years back in play for Republicans, The New York Times reported.
A year ago, the national average gas price was $3.05 per gallon. On Tuesday, Georgia had the cheapest gas in the country, averaging $4.33 per gallon.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin. She also insisted that the high cost of a fill-up was the result of a "tough, GLOBAL issue," noting that Germany, the European Union, and Canada have all seen greater increases in the price of gas than the United States.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) put the blame on President Biden, tweeting that Biden "is avoiding his legal obligation to sell energy leases."