Yuma Democrats blame Biggs, Schweikert for rising gas prices

Yuma Democratic leaders used a Thursday press conference to put a local price tag on a national fight, arguing that U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert are helping keep fuel costs high for Arizona households. City of Yuma Councilwoman Carol Smith, Yuma County Democratic Party Chair Xanthe Bullard and Yuma County Board of Supervisors Chairman Martin Porchas said the lawmakers’ positions on the Iran conflict are adding pressure at the pump, where AAA listed Yuma’s average regular gasoline price at $4.89.

The numbers gave the argument immediate local weight. AAA put Arizona’s average regular gasoline price at $4.842 on May 14, 2026, compared with a national average of $4.534. The Joint Economic Committee’s April inflation fact sheet said households are paying an average of $368 more for transportation costs nationally and $477 more for housing expenses, while the broader analysis said the average household has paid $2,357 in higher costs since President Trump took office. In Yuma County, where most workers drive alone or in a car, truck or van to work, gas prices hit almost every commute.

That matters in a county where the cost of living already stretches budgets. Census Bureau estimates put Yuma County’s July 1, 2025 population at 224,449, up 9.5% from the 2020 census base. Median gross rent was $993 in 2020-2024 estimates, median selected monthly owner costs with a mortgage were $1,334, and 17.0% of residents under 65 lacked health insurance. The county’s median household income was $60,417 in 2023 estimates cited by Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute, making fuel, groceries and rent part of the same monthly calculation for many families.

Smith cast the issue as broader than gasoline, saying people are already struggling with groceries, child care, housing and health care, so any rise in fuel prices makes those pressures worse. The press conference also landed in the middle of a crowded 2026 political landscape. KAWC reported in October 2025 that Biggs was running for governor and campaigning in Yuma, while later reporting said Donald Trump called Biggs a “great governor” at a Phoenix rally in April 2026.

Biggs’ side pushed back quickly, with a representative blaming Gov. Katie Hobbs for Arizona’s affordability problems and arguing that state leadership, not federal policy, is driving the pain families feel. Schweikert’s office had not responded by Thursday evening. In Yuma County, where gas stations, farm roads and long commutes tie household budgets to energy costs every day, the dispute is likely to stay central as the 2026 campaign unfolds.