Right-wingers freak out over 'gas stove' in Kamala Harris Thanksgiving photo

Vice President Kamala Harris posted a picture of herself and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff in their kitchen as part of holiday celebrations, with the message, “From our family to yours, happy Thanksgiving” — but right-wingers immediately obsessed over one small detail in the photo, noted the New York Post: the presence of a gas stove, which has morphed into a right-wing topic of culture war over the last year.

“Wait…that’s a gas stove! The same kind Dems want to BAN you from owning,” Sen Ted Cruz (R-Texas) posted to X. “Gas stoves for me but not for thee,” Republican Senate staffer Charles Correll III posted.

Contrary to months of claims from Republicans, nobody in the Biden administration has prohibited a ban on ownership of gas stoves.

In January, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said they would be investigating gas stoves, in the wake of studies suggesting they are responsible for indoor pollution linked to childhood asthma, cancer, and several of other health problems. One agency commissioner, Richard Trumka Jr. said, "Products that can’t be made safe can be banned," sparking speculation that gas stoves could be banned.

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But the agency swiftly clarified it wasn't pursuing a ban on gas stoves, and was simply exploring how to establish "voluntary safety standards" manufacturers could then adopt. And any regulation would only apply to the sale of new stoves, not to those that currently exist in people's houses.

In recent decades, the prevalence of gas stoves has declined in new homes as electric and induction stoves have become equally effective at regulating cook temperature. They remain common in a handful of states like New York and California where housing stock tends to be older and new homes are built less frequently. Ironically, many of the Republican governors who have vowed to protect gas stoves, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, hail from states where electric stoves are most popular.