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Golf legend Phil Mickelson spoke out about the price of gas in California, while praising California GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton for his plan to produce gas right in the state to reduce prices.
Mickelson’s opinions were shared in a series of social media posts on Wednesday.
In one post, the golfer re-shared a photo showing prices at a gas station in California exceeding $5 per gallon.
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Phil Mickelson ponders a question at a press conference, Monday, June 13, 2022, at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, ahead of the U.S. Open golf tournament. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“This is sad and going to get worse,” Mickelson wrote.
In a subsequent post, Mickelson re-shared an interview of Hilton on the Fox Business Network’s “The Bottom Line,” where the candidate shared his support for the White House’s plan to carry out off-shore oil drilling off the coast of California. Hilton said his plan and goal is to bring gas prices down to $3 per gallon.
“Finally, someone speaking common sense,” Mickelson wrote.
Earlier this year, an analysis by University of Southern California professor Michael Mische suggested Californians could end up paying as much as $8.43 per gallon of gas next year as two refineries in the state have plans to shutter.
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Phil Mickelson watches his shot off the 11th tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
“Any disruptions to oil and foreign gasoline supplies will exacerbate California’s gasoline dilemma and drive-up prices. Any disruptions to maritime markets, routes, ports, operations, etc., will have a significant effect on California gasoline security and consumer prices, as well as prices in Nevada and Arizona,” Mische wrote in May.
Meanwhile, Valero Energy Corp. announced that it will likely close its Benicia refinery near San Francisco in April 2026, putting more than 400 jobs in jeopardy and potentially raising prices even more.
Hilton, who is a top GOP contender for the governorship in 2026, has made addressing gas prices a key promise of his campaign.
“Despite our state’s plentiful oil reserves, Californians are forced by Democrat ‘climate’ policies to pay the nation’s highest gas prices (now around $5.00 per gallon), surpassing even Hawaii, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean,” Hilton wrote in a Fox News Digital op-ed in June.
“California’s sky-high gas prices are the direct result of 15 years of one-party Democratic rule. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris and every other leading Democrat in the state have been cheerleaders for this ‘war on fossil fuels,’ endlessly bragging about “leading the world” on climate change.”
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Meanwhile, Mickelson has been active on social media this year in bringing awareness to various socio-political issues caused by leftist policies and lawmakers, while praising conservatives like President Donald Trump, the late Charlie Kirk and now Hilton.
Mickelson is a former California resident who was born in San Diego, but famously moved to Florida to avoid paying California’s high taxes.
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