Gas prices are up. Electricity bills, too. And diesel prices recently hit record highs. With less than a month until the midterm elections, Americans are facing a multifront squeeze from rising energy prices.

A large portion of higher costs have been driven by the U.S. war with Iran. Many voters say energy prices are top of mind as they head to the ballot box in November.

Diesel prices are a particular concern for Republicans. Both trucking and agriculture heavily rely on diesel fuel for their operations. When diesel prices rise, the cost of goods and foods delivered and cultivated by diesel-reliant vehicles increase as well, affecting American consumers. A global fuels crunch sent diesel prices surging to record levels in recent weeks. As of Saturday, diesel prices were $6.36 a gallon, up from $3.70 a year ago, according to AAA.

In states like Iowa, the rising energy costs are shifting political dynamics. There, recent polls show Iowa Democratic Senate candidate state Rep. Josh Turek and GOP candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson neck and neck, and the race for governor and several House contests are also tight.

Aidan Struve, a 23-year-old farmer in Woodward, Iowa, operates his family farm that produces corn, soybeans, alfalfa and oats across roughly 500 acres. Filling up his seven tractors, two semitrailer trucks and a combine harvester for the year cost about $11,500 in 2025. This year, it will cost $18,000.

To make up for higher diesel costs, Struve said he was skipping maintenance repairs on his equipment, hoping nothing breaks as harvest season begins. He has cut back hay deliveries to local clients and is meeting up with friends less frequently. Struve also said he has picked up extra hours working in residential construction to make up for the year's losses.

"You just have to suffer through and work harder," he said. "That gives you less time with your family and everything else."

A loyal Republican, Struve said he would vote GOP this fall, but some of his friends are sitting it out or voting for Democrats. He said he was backing Republican candidate Zach Lahn for governor over Democrat Rob Sand because he supports cutting the state gas tax, which Struve says will provide immediate relief to Iowans, and believes Lahn better understands Iowa farmers.

Gas prices have also increased this year, affecting small-business owners, taxi and ride-share drivers, and everyday families stretching their household budgets. The national average gasoline price was $4.38 on Saturday, up from $3.15 a year ago.

In Allentown, Pa., Enid Santiago says it now costs $80 to fill up her minivan, up from $50 earlier this year. Higher energy prices are giving Democrats a shot to take back her district's competitive House seat now held by Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.

An airline customer-service employee who has run for state office as a Democrat, Santiago, 46, said she has cut back on going out to eat, extracurricular activities for her four children and entertainment. She said she is enthusiastic to vote for Democrat Bob Brooks to punish Republicans.

"We're cutting back on everything," she said. "We're working right now to survive, to pay our mortgage and car insurance and what we need."

Nick Earls, 23, of Bellaire, Ohio, said higher gas prices have pushed him to use coupons and buy generic brands when grocery shopping. As a recent college graduate, Earls said he didn't expect to start his adult life feeling so financially constrained. He blamed Republicans for not addressing Americans' affordability concerns and said he would vote for Democrats for Senate and governor.

"Republicans have had control for a while and have been saying they'd make things better and things have not gotten better," he said.

While gasoline prices have long been part of the national political discourse, customers this year have been frustrated by electricity prices, too.

Electricity-cost increases have been outpacing many other types of inflation, up 3.8% in August from the year before, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer prices rose 3.4% in the same period.

The reasons electricity costs are rising have been complex and varied across the U.S. State renewable-energy plans and the replacement of aging or storm-damaged grid equipment have all played a role in recent years, according to research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. New data centers, needed in abundance for artificial intelligence, get much of the blame, but their impact has been mixed. Data centers helped keep costs lower in some places but have contributed to increases in regions where electricity supplies have tightened.

Especially hot or cold weather can spike bills, which are based on a mix of consumption and fixed costs.

Ed Kirkman, 55, who operates ChaCha's Hiland Bakery in Des Moines, says electricity costs have gone up nearly 30% in the past year. To stay in business, he said he might have to cut hours for his 25 employees or close the shop one or two days a week.

A lifelong registered Republican, he switched his party registration to independent this year, citing President Trump's handling of the Iran war and rising costs. He has grown further politically disaffected and said he hasn't decided who he is voting for in the state's tight gubernatorial race.

"We can't pay people to stand around and lose money. This isn't sustainable," he said. "People are ready for some change. Things aren't getting better."