SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. — When Amy Sibley heads to the Costco here from her home in nearby San Clemente, her best friend, Lisa Miller, tags along — to save gas money.
"I hitch a ride with her," said Miller, 58, an unemployed business consultant, as the temperature in the black-tar parking lot topped 100 degrees. "If I put gas in my car, I can only put in five or six gallons at a time. It hurts when you have the minimum coming in and a lot of obligations. There's only so much you can do — pay the bills or get in the car and drive around."
Miller is a Republican who voted for Donald Trump in the last presidential election; Sibley is a Democrat who voted for Joe Biden. Both say the cost of gas — and groceries and other goods — is top of mind as they decide how to vote in the November midterm election that will determine control of Congress.
