Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) posted on X on November 2, 2026, stating that New Yorkers are tired of paying for the ongoing conflict with Iran and signaling readiness for political change ahead of the midterm elections.
Gillibrand attached a New York Post article detailing a Marist College poll of New York likely voters.
The post reads in full:
“New Yorkers are sick and tired of footing the bill for Trump’s reckless war with Iran.
We are ready for change.”
The attached New York Post article, published October 28, 2026, reported results from a Marist College poll of 1,448 New York State voters conducted October 22–25. It found that 45% of likely voters said their personal family finances had worsened over the past year, 13% said they had improved, and 40% said they stayed about the same.
Democrats were more likely than Republicans to report worsening finances (54% versus 34%). The poll showed higher costs for gas, groceries, utility bills, and housing cited across the state, with 47% of upstate voters, 44% of suburbanites, and 42% of New York City voters saying they were worse off.
The article quoted campaign strategist O’Brien O.B. Murray saying higher costs have been an issue for years and that the Iran war is a factor in higher gas prices, while also pointing to longstanding New York tax and spending policies.
Gillibrand has repeatedly tied the costs of the Iran conflict to New York families since the war began in late February 2026. On the 60-day mark in May 2026, she stated that gas had reached the highest prices in four years and that every trip to the grocery store and commute costs more because of a war American families never asked for.
In an April 2026 press conference announcing War Powers Resolutions with colleagues, Gillibrand said President Trump chose to start a war knowing it would raise gas prices on Americans already struggling. Her resolution directed the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with or against Iran unless Congress explicitly authorized force.
On July 30, 2026, Republicans blocked her War Powers Resolution on a 49-50 vote. Gillibrand released a statement saying the vote showed Republicans had abandoned their duties and refused to keep the president in check while working New Yorkers faced skyrocketing gas prices and service members were killed and injured.
In a floor speech ahead of that vote, she said the administration demands billions for wars abroad while claiming the country cannot afford to improve schools, repair roads, or lower healthcare costs. She cited Joint Economic Committee data showing the average New York family had paid an additional $432 on gas since the war began.
On the six-month anniversary in August 2026, Gillibrand stated that the war was launched without a clear plan or coherent strategy and had become a costly disaster, with New Yorkers paying the price at the grocery store and gas pump.
In late October 2026 statements marking the eight-month mark, she said the conflict had cost nearly $50 billion in taxpayer money, wounded hundreds, and killed at least 23 American service members while driving up costs for New Yorkers. She has consistently described the war as unauthorized and illegal and has voted repeatedly for measures seeking to end it or require congressional authorization.
Gillibrand’s November 2 post linking the Marist findings to the war costs and declaring readiness for change comes one day before the November 3 midterm elections. Prediction market Polymarket has shown Democrats with approximately 95% odds of winning the House.
Her office has issued multiple press releases throughout 2026 documenting higher gas, grocery, and household costs attributed to the conflict and calling for an end to the war and accountability for its launch and conduct.