JD Vance refocuses on real issues after Republican midterm losses
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Vice President JD Vance is moving beyond routine Trump references and speaking directly to the issues that matter to voters—economic nationalism, a more restrained foreign policy and public safety—after Republicans’ midterm defeat, in what looks like a serious bid to help shape the party’s future.
Vice President JD Vance has moved away from leaning on President Donald Trump in his recent speeches, and instead has been highlighting issues that many conservatives view as the heart of the movement: economic nationalism, a restrained foreign-policy stance and public safety. The change follows Republicans’ loss of control of Congress in the November 7 midterm elections, according to a Reuters review of several speeches delivered since the Republican convention in September.
Vance has said the party’s defeat was tied in part to the ongoing war with Iran, calling for a swift end to the conflict and urging Republicans to focus on affordability, take a fresh look at foreign relations and overhaul the United States’ relationship with Israel.
"I want my kids to raise a family in a country that is vibrant and thriving and free and prosperous. And because I want that for me, I want it for you too," Vance said at a rally in North Carolina.
Sources familiar with the strategy said Vance and his advisers believe the issues he is championing are politically powerful and speak directly to the priorities of ordinary Americans, giving him a platform to emerge as a serious standard-bearer for the party beyond Trump. Michael Ricci, a Republican strategist, said Vance is using the vice presidency’s megaphone to help define the debate for the 2028 race.
President Donald Trump, who has not endorsed any candidate for 2028, said the Iran war contributed to the Republican loss because it raised gas prices, but he also made clear that he would not have handled it differently.
Democratic strategist Igor Volsky warned that Democrats are likely to try to tie any Republican nominee to Trump in the 2028 contest, creating a challenge for candidates who must satisfy primary voters while also appealing to the broader general-election electorate.
Other potential GOP contenders, including Senator Ted Cruz, Governor Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have offered their own assessments of the midterm defeat, focusing on affordability, cultural issues and emerging policy concerns.