WashingtonDiesel hit a record $6.52 a gallon in September.
Voters rank cost of living first, and the Iran war has pushed fuel prices up.
Democrats need a net gain of 4 Senate seats, while Republicans hold the House 218-214.
An NBC poll found only 29% of voters view the Democratic Party positively.
The Senate will be decided in Michigan, Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Maine, Alaska and North Carolina.
How each outlet framed it
drawn from 500+ reports worldwide
- BBC leans critical
- ties the midterm stakes to the cost-of-living issue and the GOP's spending in traditionally safe Kansas as a sign of trouble
- Hindustan Times
- reads the midterms as a referendum on Trump's second term and says a win would shield tariffs and the Iran war from congressional oversight
- Dawn leans favorable
- uses a Pakistani journalist's first-hand view of the New York mayoral race and Mamdani's Oval Office meeting to frame American democracy against Pakistan's 2024 election
Sources: BBC, Hindustan Times, Dawn