Inside Ray Washburne’s Double‑Duty Talk: From a Dallas GOP Midterm Convention to the Realities of Gas Prices

When Margaret Brennan sat down with Ray Washburne on September 6, 2026, the conversation jumped from political logistics to the everyday wallet‑pain of gasoline prices. Washburne, who wears two very different hats—as the host‑committee chair for the inaugural Republican midterm convention in Dallas and as chairman of Sunoco, the nation’s biggest fuel reseller—offered a blend of insider detail and plain‑spoken commentary.

First, he clarified a point that had been swirling in the media: do lawmakers actually have to cough up $25,000 to attend the convention? “The attendance packages are an RNC thing,” Washburne said, noting that his role is to run the host committee, not to set the price tags. What he could confirm, however, was the scale of the event. “We have about 20,000 people arriving from every state and every U.S. territory,” he explained, adding that the energy in Dallas is palpable.

The convention, he emphasized, is more than a political rally—it’s a networking frenzy. Candidates, donors, and high‑profile figures from the administration will be packed into back‑to‑back events, making even a single‑day appearance worthwhile. “We pretty much have every race represented,” Washburne said, though a couple of lawmakers who can’t break away from tight races will miss out.

When the conversation turned to former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton—recently touted by former President Trump as a “centerpiece” candidate—Washburne was quick to broaden the view. “Every candidate is a focus of the convention,” he replied, while acknowledging Paxton’s home‑state advantage. He highlighted the fresh $10 million boost from Trump’s circle, plus a sizable contribution from Elon Musk, and noted that Paxton’s first ad buy landed just that morning. The result? A wall‑to‑wall ad push that will roll out from the convention onward.

Switching gears, Brennan asked the Sunoco chief about the surge in gasoline prices, which have crept more than 20 % above last Labor Day levels. Washburne painted a picture that, while prices are up, the supply side looks healthier than it did in the 1970s oil crises. “We’ve passed peak summer demand and refineries are running at about 98 % capacity,” he said. “You can pull into any station and fill up—no lines, no panic.”

He did concede the sting of higher per‑gallon numbers, but placed it in a broader economic context. Adjusted for inflation, fuel now costs less than 2 % of an average paycheck, compared with roughly 5 % back in the Carter era. “Big retailers like Costco and Buc‑ee’s have kept a lid on prices,” he added, implying that without those caps, the sticker shock could be far worse.

As for the future, Washburne echoed the Energy Secretary’s optimism: supply is increasing, demand has plateaued, and there’s no immediate sign of a new “energy shock.” He expects flat demand through the fall, which should keep the market relatively stable for both distributors and consumers.

In short, the interview painted a dual picture—political excitement brewing in Dallas, and a fuel market that, despite higher prices at the pump, remains fundamentally well‑supplied. For Washburne, the two worlds intersect at one simple truth: people keep driving, they keep voting, and the engines of both politics and commerce keep humming.