Vance Blames Iran War for GOP Midterm Losses — SkimNews
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- Vance wrote on X on Wednesday morning that "the reason we lost is the war," referring to the Iran conflict the Trump administration launched in February 2026 — an unusually blunt break from his own president's policy that suggests he is distancing himself from the war ahead of a likely 2028 presidential run.
- Trump said Tuesday that Iran "was a piece of it" but insisted he "did the right thing. I would have done it again," even as Vance argued that losing the Senate for the next six years was the price.
- Exit polls showed 74% of voters saw the Iran war as a "crucial" or "major" factor in their vote, with Democrats celebrating one of the largest midterm blowouts in decades.
- Vance said a pollster on the verge of the election told him voters who flipped from Trump in 2024 to Democrats in 2026 cited four issues above all: ending the war, focusing on the cost of living, putting America First, and changing the relationship with Israel.
- Trump announced the U.S. will stop providing military aid to Israel at the end of 2026, appearing to concede that his support for Israel was hurting Republicans.
- Marco Rubio, who largely avoided campaign events during the midterms, emerged looking stronger for 2028 than Vance, who was closely tied to the campaign; former Rep. Trey Gowdy said "There's one winner tonight on the Republican side, and that's Marco Rubio," and Andrei Roman of AtlasIntel added that "There is only one name who can save Republicans in 2028," pointing to Rubio's ability to reverse Democratic gains in Latino communities that propelled victories in Texas and several Florida House seats.
- Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute wrote that there is reason to believe Trump will now seek escalation, citing "the urgency borne out of a closing window for escalation, Trump's own desire for vengeance, and reduced political pressure to push down gas prices by securing a deal."
Why it matters: The war's political price is now explicit: Republicans lost the Senate for six years, and 74% of voters called the conflict crucial or major to their choice. Vance's break with Trump has left Marco Rubio looking stronger for 2028, while the pledge to stop U.S. military aid to Israel at the end of 2026 is the clearest policy shift the midterms have produced.
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