Vice President JD Vance blamed Republicans’ midterm losses on the Iran war as President Donald Trump acknowledged a short-term jump in gasoline prices tied to the conflict.
Vance posted on X on Nov. 4 that “The reason we lost is the war.” He also said the Democratic vote in 2026 included some people who had supported him and Trump in the previous presidential election. He presented that shift as evidence that the conflict had hurt Republicans politically.
Vance attributed his account to conversations an unnamed pollster had with former Republican voters. He said their priorities included an end to the war, more attention to inflation and living costs, an “America First” approach and a change in U.S. ties with Israel.
Trump said Vance’s assessment was “largely true” because the conflict had pushed gasoline prices up “a little bit short term.” He also said he would make the same decision again.
The Associated Press reported that Democrats had won control of both the House and Senate, though at least one Senate race remained too close to call when the report was published. AP placed the outcome in a midterm pattern, noting that the president’s party rarely retains power and comparing the results with Democratic gains in 2018 under Trump and Republican advances during Barack Obama’s presidency.
The separate AP Voter Poll surveyed about 80,000 voters. Its results put living costs and government corruption high among reasons for congressional choices: roughly half of respondents considered each crucial, while a smaller share said the same of the Iran war. The survey covered a broader electorate and different questions from Vance’s account of former Republicans.
