Vance blames the Iran war for losing the Senate — SkimNews
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- Vance wrote on X that "the reason we lost is the war," pointing at the Iran conflict the Trump administration launched in February, and dared anyone who thinks it was worth it to defend losing the Senate for the next six years.
- Democratic Party candidates celebrated one of the largest midterm blowouts in decades, with victories in Texas and several Florida House seats, while exit polls showed 74% of voters called the Iran war a "crucial" or "major" factor in their vote.
- Trump acknowledged Iran "was a piece of it" in the losses but insisted he "did the right thing. I would have done it again."
- Vance cited a pollster who said voters flipping from Trump in 2024 to Democrats in 2026 ranked four issues above all: ending the war, focusing on the cost of living, "America First," and changing the relationship with Israel.
- Israel — Trump said 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.
- Rubio, who largely avoided campaign events while serving as Secretary of State and National Security Adviser, looks stronger for 2028 than Vance, who was closely tied to the campaign: Trey Gowdy told Fox News, "There's one winner tonight on the Republican side, and that's Marco Rubio," and Andrei Roman of AtlasIntel said, "There is only one name who can save Republicans in 2028."
- 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," his desire for vengeance, and reduced political pressure to push down gas prices by securing a deal.
Why it matters: With 74% of voters naming the war a crucial or major factor and the Senate lost for six years, the Republican base's grievance is concrete, not rhetorical. Trump's end-2026 cutoff of U.S. military aid to Israel concedes that the Israel relationship was part of the defect, not a separate issue.
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