Diesel prices in New Mexico hit record highs in September, according to data provided by AAA.
The costs for diesel and gas have skyrocketed this year after seven months of war in Iran, resulting in a domino effect of inflation and higher borrowing costs identified by the Congressional Budget Office.
Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee released a report on Sept. 15 that determined New Mexicans have spent an average of $3,400 more in 2026 due to rising costs for everyday necessities like groceries, utilities, and gas.
According to an analysis by KOAT 7, counties in southern New Mexico are seeing some of the highest gas prices including Doña Ana, Grant, and Luna counties—all located in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District.
Gas prices have consequences
President Donald Trump pledged on Sept. 9 that the war in Iran will only stop after the midterms and promised that prices would fall.
The rising cost of living caused by the war in Iran is a key election issue in New Mexico, especially in the state’s 2nd Congressional District where Greg Cunningham, a Republican and former Albuquerque police detective, is trying unseat Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D) in a race that could determine Republican control of the US House of Representatives.
So where do the candidates stand on the war?
In a statement shared with Courier New Mexico, Vasquez called on Trump to “end the war.”
“Diesel powers our rural economy, and our farmers and ranchers are paying the price for the president’s broken promises. This war has driven up costs, depleted critical munitions, cost taxpayers billions, and put our servicemembers in harm’s way — all without delivering strategic wins for the US,” Vasquez wrote.
Vasquez also pointed to his record of voting against the war in Iran, including the most recent war powers resolution on Sept. 15 that failed by a 220-204 vote.
In August, Vasquez joined other Democrats in a letter to Pres. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding an accounting for the true cost of the war. Currently, experts estimate that the direct costs associated with the war could total close to $38 billion.
Where do the candidates split?
Cunningham has supported Trump’s war in Iran since it began, even as candidates are starting to distance themselves from the president over the issue.
In previous interviews, Cunningham, a Marine Corps veteran, has cited his own military background in shaping his position on the war.
In June he told the Santa Fe New Mexican that “from someone that was in combat in that theater; yes, I do support it.” He justified Trump’s actions in Iran by saying that Iranian leaders “think nothing like we think” and that their “language is strength.”
He’s echoed Trump’s argument that the war prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and believes voters should support “Team America.”
“To vote no to not give the men and women there the funding and the resources they need to be successful is ridiculous to me,” he said about Vasquez’s vote against the National Defense Authorization Act on an episode of Bob Clark’s podcast in July.
“This conflict is here. How about we win it?” Cunningham said.
Cunningham’s campaign didn’t respond to requests for comment on this story.
Polling shows that Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to Trump’s war in Iran and its impacts on rising costs. In New Mexico, he’s polling at record lows.
