OLD TOWN — With the price of home heating oil over $5 a gallon, Second Congressional District Democrat Matt Dunlap said Tuesday that he opposes the Iran War and would push Congress to consistently support low-income heating assistance.

“Right now, families across this district are sitting at their kitchen tables signing their heating oil contracts for the winter and staring at numbers they simply cannot afford,” he said.

Dunlap, who faces former Republican Gov. Paul LePage on the Nov. 3 ballot, said Maine continues to be the state where more people rely on home heating oil than any other.

According to the Maine Department of Energy Resources, the average price for a gallon of home heating oil in Maine was $5.15 in late August. A year ago at this time, it was $3.33. 

Dunlap, a former state lawmaker and current State Auditor, blamed the war in Iran.

“That’s not an abstract foreign policy debate, that’s the reason your heating bill this winter could be hundreds of dollars higher than it was last year,” he said.

During an event in Old Town in front of an oil delivery truck, he accused LePage of not giving a straight answer on whether he supports the Iran war.

In response, LePage campaign manager Brent Littlefield said Dunlap’s campaign is failing, which is why he’s raising questions about LePage. 

“Of course, Governor LePage would like to see the Iran conflict end,” Littlefield said in a statement. “He is very concerned about the cost of home heating and gasoline, which is why when he was Governor he ended gas tax increases. Matt Dunlap has done nothing to lower the cost of anything.”

Dunlap said in addition to voting as a member of Congress to end the war, he would push to make sure the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is fully funded each year and encourage the use of alternative sources like solar panels and wood heat.

He also acknowledged that for many, converting to something like natural gas can be an expensive venture.

“If people can’t afford their heating oil contracts, they are kind of buttoned down and they can’t afford to make a lot of conversions either,” he said.