Voters in 12 states overwhelmingly re-elected 93 percent of 530 state lawmakers who supported a gas tax increase between 2015 and 2018 and ran for re-election in 2018. Winning state lawmakers in Nov. 6 races included 92 percent of Republicans, and 94 percent of Democrats, according to an analysis from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s Transportation Investment Advocacy Center™ (ARTBA-TIAC).
The preliminary numbers compare favorably to lawmakers who voted against a gas tax increase—90 percent of 211 state legislators who voted against a gas tax increase and ran for re-election won their races, including 88 percent of Republicans and 96 percent of Democrats.
The results are consistent with those over the last five years that show support for a gas tax increase does not hurt political careers. Including 2018, voters have re-elected 92 percent of over 1,890 state lawmakers who voted in favor of a gas tax increase since 2013. This support for lawmakers who approve a gas tax increase persists across party lines as well— over 90 percent of Democratic and 94 percent of Republican lawmakers were re-elected.
The complete report and an interactive map showing the state-by-state results can be found at www.transportationinvestment.org.