GAS  (CONT)

domestic production in an environmentally responsible way," he added.

At least one poll suggests otherwise, however. A Gallup Poll of 1,012 adults in early March found that 61 percent said the United States should emphasize conservation in solving energy problems, while 29 percent said more production was the best way.

The issue has become central to the presidential campaign, with Sens. John McCain , R-Ariz., and Hillary Rodham Clinton , D-N.Y., calling for a "gas tax holiday" this summer. Sen. Barack Obama , an Illinois Democrat, opposes the tax holiday as counterproductive.
But suspending the gas tax has proved a popular idea in Indiana, which holds its primary May 6. Gas prices are a key issue there.
Democratic Gov. Frank O'Bannon called off the state tax for 90 days in 2000, a step that may have helped him win re-election that year.

James McDowell, a political scientist at Indiana State University, expects Democrats to go after oil companies this fall. "I don't know if it will help them, but it will be a big issue," said McDowell.

McDowell said gas prices in his hometown of Terre Haute jumped by 18 cents overnight this week, to $3.75 for regular unleaded.
Andy Downs, a political analyst at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, said both parties will feel voters' anger over gas prices in November.

"I think whoever the incumbent is will get the blame. It won't fall on party lines," he said. "Democrats and Republicans have offered solutions but there have been no solutions."


House members such as Indiana freshman Joe Donnelly , a Democrat, say all angles have to be explored. "We can't conserve our way out," he said, "and we can't do it by increasing capacity.''

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