Gas prices fall 15-cents-a-gallon across S.C.

MORNING HEADLINES | The average price of a gallon of gas in South Carolina fell 15 cents last week, continuing a downward trend that’s lowered statewide prices about 55 cents over the past month, according to the price-tracking firm GasBuddy.

Still, at $3.45 per gallon, that’s 77 cents more than a year ago, prior to the start of the Iran war.

What’s more, that statewide average covers a wide range of prices across S.C., with the cheapest gallon reported at $3.03 and the most expensive at $5.29.

The Palmetto State price drop came amid an average national decline of about 16 cents a gallon following last week’s elections, though GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan was quick to note that the two were not related.

“Many will assume the election had something to do with it, but that’s a myth,” De Haan said in a Nov. 9 release. “Gas prices have fallen in the 30 days leading up to the election every year since 2006 except 2010, and it’s typically seasonal: refiners finish maintenance and ramp up output just as demand fades with cooler weather.”

Looking forward, De Haan said he expects those same forces, along with a renewed focus on affordability, to keep prices under $4 a gallon in the weeks ahead.

“The election’s outcome may send a message to Washington to sharpen its focus on affordability, and I’d expect even more attention on bringing prices down,” De Haan said. “But for now, it’s the seasonal shift, not politics, driving the relief at the pump.”

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In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper

CP OPINION: Brack: Palmetto State takeaways after the crushing blue wave. “The 2026 national blue wave that transferred control of Congress away from Republicans had a coattail impact. Voters in S.C. House races cast ballots for enough Democratic candidates to break a GOP supermajority. That will have a real impact on the process of legislating in South Carolina as Republicans will no longer be able to steamroll Democrats on any issue they choose.”

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