Gas, energy, and housing are the issues that hit CD4 families every single day. As your next Congressman, I will put affordability first.
GAS AND ENERGY — WHY ARIZONA FEELS CALIFORNIA’S PAIN
Arizona drivers have faced some of the highest pump prices in the country. When regular gasoline pushes toward five dollars a gallon or more, it does not stay in the news—it hits commuters in Chandler, parents in Mesa, students and workers in Tempe, and small business owners across the East Valley. Reporting from outlets like AZ Family and market analysts regularly ranks Arizona among the most expensive markets—and it is not an accident.
Here is the “triple threat” formula voters deserve to understand:
First, specialized fuel. Maricopa County and “Area A” require specific cleaner-burning gasoline to meet Clean Air Act standards—including the Arizona Reformulated Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending (AZRBOB) type fuel markets use in our region. That fuel is more expensive to produce and less interchangeable than generic gasoline, which limits supply flexibility when shortages hit.
Second, geography and pipelines—not politics on a bumper sticker. Arizona does not have major in-state oil refineries. We depend heavily on a thin logistics chain: roughly 55–60% of gasoline can arrive through pipelines from Texas and New Mexico, with the remainder coming from California and related West Coast supply. Fewer pipelines mean fewer options when something breaks, maintenance runs, or a neighboring market sneezes.
Third, seasonal switch and maintenance. Every spring, refineries move from winter blends to the more expensive summer formulation—often at the same time plants go offline for maintenance. That combination tightens supply and moves prices right when families are already stretching budgets.
Layer on global crude shocks from international conflict—Middle East risk hits world oil prices, and Phoenix metro demand stays intense—so local competition for refined product stays high.
I am not against clean air. I am against a system where working families pay a premium for dysfunction. We need energy abundance, infrastructure resilience, regulatory realism, and transparency—so the people who obey the law are not the ones carrying the whole bill.
HEMISPHERIC ENERGY — VENEZUELA, AMERICAN SECURITY, AND CHEAPER FUEL FROM OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD
American workers deserve energy policy that puts the United States first.
Venezuela’s oil story matters to this debate. American companies have been involved in Venezuelan oil for more than a century. The industry was nationalized in the 1970s with PDVSA. In the 1990s, Venezuela opened its oil sector again and brought in major international investment and technology—including from U.S. firms—to expand production. Later regimes reasserted state control, corruption exploded, and the country collapsed. That is what happens when politics replaces competence.
Today, with U.S. leadership working toward a post-Maduro future, Congress should insist on strategic reciprocity. If American diplomacy and American investment help unlock responsible production in our hemisphere, then American families should see the downstream benefit: more stable supply, less dependence on OPEC politics, and priority access for U.S. refiners and consumers where it can be negotiated lawfully and fairly. We should prefer cheap, secure energy from the Western Hemisphere over begging overseas cartels for relief.
HOUSING — BUILD MORE, OWN MORE, PROTECT WHAT PEOPLE ALREADY EARNED
A huge part of affordability is affording the roof over your head. We need more homes where it makes sense—faster permits, predictable zoning, infrastructure that keeps pace, and fewer artificial barriers that turn starter homes into a fantasy for young families.
We also need a mortgage market that helps first-time buyers without gimmicks that inflate prices faster than they help. Transparency, reasonable down-payment paths, and policies that reward work matter.
Finally, we must protect existing homeowners: especially seniors and working families whose net worth is in their home. We can increase supply without engineering a crash or dumping top-down federal experiments into neighborhoods that did everything right. Build more, yes—but do not punish the people who already played by the rules.
A common-sense affordability agenda is simple: keep gas and power costs from crushing family budgets, unlock housing supply without destroying neighborhood stability, and put American workers—not foreign cartels and not Washington consultants—at the center of the solution.