Americans are suffering under hefty gas prices as the United States has begun a war with Iran. One Republican candidate endorsed by the GOP is telling Americans that this is their sacrifice to make. "Maybe you take one less trip to Starbucks, so that gas goes a little further until this thing is over and these gas prices come back down again. Let's just try to be patriots about this," said Minnesota senatorial candidate Michele Tafoya.Tafoya has made gas prices a key piece of her campaign. "I think Minnesota is in a crisis," Tafoya told CBS Minnesota station WCCO in an interview. "I think we have a crisis in leadership and I think the career politicians that got us here are not going to get us out.""In terms of policy, we've got a middle-class crisis," Tafoya said. "We've got families struggling to pay rent, to pay mortgages, to put groceries on the table. Energy costs need to come down. Schools need to do better."Since petroleum is traded on a global market, removing a key source of that petroleum from the market raises gas prices everywhere. Currently, the Strait of Hormuz is shut down as oil tankers fear that their ships will be blown up either by Iranian drones or U.S. missiles. Oil coming from the Persian Gulf has been fully stopped. Trump had initially asked NATO and other European allies for help, but each refused. German leaders went so far as to tell Trump that he caused the mess himself. Japan has stepped in, saying that they will help escort tankers, but only after the bombing ends. Congress was not consulted about the war, nor did Congress vote to authorize it.Oh my god.On the radio, NRSC-endorsed Michele Tafoya says that gas prices are spiking because of the Iran war that she supports and that people should “take one less trip to Starbuck’s” and to “just try to be patriots” about it.#mnsen pic.twitter.com/GOvkgZTqV7— danny (@dabbs346) March 19, 2026