A Republican governor and longtime rival of Donald Trump has announced a state of emergency to help citizens pay for higher prices at the pump, at least in part caused by the Iran war. Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia signed an executive order late Monday to suspend the Peach State's motor fuel excise tax temporarily. Kemp, who Trump expressed fury at in 2020 over the state's certification of Joe Biden's election victory, said the suspension is meant to provide relief due to the skyrocketing gas prices and diesel costs. While Kemp is not on the ballot this year, Georgia Republicans are attempting to retain the governorship this November and have been consistently trailing in the state's US Senate contest.

Kemp's tax cut equates to saving 33 cents per gallon of regular gasoline and 37 cents per gallon for diesel, according to the governor's office. The order also suspends weight limits on commercial vehicles, which the governor's office argues will further reduce the costs of everyday goods such as those lining grocery store shelves. Currently, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Georgia is $4.19 a gallon, according to American Automobile Association (AAA). Diesel, meanwhile, is $6.24 per gallon. A year ago in Georgia, the price for a gallon of regular gas was $2.87 a gallon, and diesel was $3.54. The new policy is the latest maneuver by a Republican official to help provide economic relief to voters ahead of the midterms, which are increasingly looking dismal for the GOP.

As of Tuesday morning, Democrats have a 63 percent chance of winning control of the Senate while the party has a 92 percent chance of winning the House of Representatives, according to data from the prediction market Kalshi. In Georgia, with just 35 days until the midterms, incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff holds an over two-point polling advantage over his Republican challenger, Congressman Mike Collins, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. The Georgia governor's race between Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson is seen as a toss-up. The governor's new policy could warm some voters towards Republicans who have largely been bogged down in polls by economic concerns and worries over the Iran war and its impact on gas prices.

For months, Ossoff has attacked the president and his party for the increased costs of fuel and everyday goods, focusing his aim at a key vulnerability of Republicans. Trump promised again over the weekend that gas prices would be coming down 'soon.' '[It] will come dropping down as soon as Iran gives up, as soon as the war is over, which will be soon,' the president said. He has repeatedly suggested that once the midterm elections are over, Iran will be more amenable to negotiations to end the war, and that once it does the prices will drop. By the president's own estimate, voters can expect to be paying increased prices at least through early November, and perhaps much longer.