Rochester, N.Y. - Hurricane Isaac's path through the Gulf of Mexico is being blamed for shutting down more than 90% of the oil production in that region. That equates to more than one-fifth of the daily supply in the U.S. and it has some industry analysts predicting what could become a prolonged spike in gas prices when other global factors are considered.
As the campaign season heats up, many political analysts are wondering if this could impact November's election.
In Rochester, the expected price hikes come as Labor Day weekend approaches and immediately following a gradual increase over the past month. AAA reports the daily average price for a gallon of regular unleaded last month cost $3.65, but by Thursday it was up to $3.90.
So what priority will you put on gas prices if you enter the voting booth in November after tanking up at $4-per-gallon?
"Very high, very high," Debbie Turner of Chili said. "I mean that's part of your daily expense and you can't really have a budget if you don't know if it's going to be high or low it's a problem."
"It's probably not going to be a specific issue, I mean it will be in the back of my mind but I think the overall economy is something that we need to worry about more," Brian Levy of Rochester said.
"I think there's more important issues like healthcare, our economy versus gas prices at this point," Heather Richman of Webster said.
"I am because they (government) intervene on everything else in this world but they don't intervene on capping the gas prices," Kristen Yousey said of how she plans to think about gas prices while considering her vote.
"I work in transportation so I think about it everyday," Autumn White said of how gas prices impact her life. "Three-bucks is still too high, it's a factor. Does a family pay for milk or do they pay for gas so they can get to work so they can maybe pay for milk next time."
