Vice President JD Vance says Iran war cost GOP midterm control
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JD Vance argued that the war with Iran was the decisive factor behind Republican losses, citing polling that showed it pulled some Trump voters toward Democrats and cost the party its Senate majority.
Vice President JD Vance said the Republican Party’s defeat in the recent midterm elections was caused by the war with Iran, insisting that the conflict robbed the GOP of its Senate majority and that the price of inaction would have been even higher. In a lengthy post on X, Vance said the president himself had recognized the war as the reason for the loss and challenged critics to say the conflict was worth giving up six years of Senate control.
Vance, who is being discussed as a potential 2028 presidential candidate and a leading figure in President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, has been involved in negotiations with Iran aimed at ending the hostilities that have strained both economies and driven global fuel prices upward. His public comments on Tehran have been more conciliatory than those of other senior officials, reflecting a rare public divergence from the president’s position.
Citing a pollster he described as “one of the smartest people I know,” Vance said the survey indicated that ending the Iran war and “changing our relationship with Israel” were among the top concerns for Americans who voted for President Trump in 2024 but were weighing Democratic candidates in the 2026 midterms.
In contrast, President Trump responded to the electoral setback by saying he had no regrets about starting the conflict.