Vance blames Iran war for Republicans’ heavy US midterm defeat

US Vice President Vance blamed the ongoing war with Iran for the Republican Party’s heavy midterm defeat, pushing aside other issues, including the Trump administration’s immigration policies, that were viewed as costing party candidates votes.

Posting on his social media account, Vance said, “The war is the reason we lost. The President himself said this last night.”

Continuing his statement, Vance remarked: “If you want to argue that it was worth it, that it was worth losing the Senate for the next 6 years, make that argument. Argue that it was a price worth paying. Agree or disagree, that is at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. An honest conversation about where we go from here has to start right there.”

The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., soon backed Vance’s assessment, writing above the original post on the X platform, “Every single word of this is 100% true.”

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, had previously acknowledged that the Iran war was partly responsible for the Republicans’ overall midterm losses, though he remained defiant and said he would make the same decision again.

In an election-night interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said the Middle East conflict, now entering its eighth month, was “part of it.”

Asked later on Tuesday about Vance’s post and whether he had been given advance notice, Trump said: “I know how he feels about the Iran war. I think it was fine. I thought it was good.”

Speaking to reporters in the White House ballroom, where construction is under way, Trump said he knew the war would affect the vote, adding, “Affect it or not, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they never will have a nuclear weapon.”

Regarding when the war would end, Trump said, “It will end when I want it to end, but it has to be done right.”

Government officials sought to avoid blame for a defeat of a scale neither party had faced in a midterm election in the last 50 years. The election results are widely viewed as a referendum on Trump’s presidency.

Having caused sharp rises in petrol and diesel prices in the US and globally since it began in late February, the war fuelled voter backlash following Trump’s 2024 campaign pledges to end foreign wars and lower prices.

A long-time sceptic of US overseas military interventions, Vance sought to distance himself from the unpopular war ahead of a potential 2028 presidential bid.

In the early stages of the war, as Trump was weighing potential strike options against Tehran, Vance was reported to have been sceptical of and opposed to the move.

After the war began, Vance publicly defended “Operation Epic Fury”, but in recent months he took care to keep his distance from the issue.

In his post on X on Tuesday, Vance claimed that despite his party’s heavy losses, data analysts on their side showed that turnout before the election was merely acceptable in some states and exceptional in others, and in no state did it fall to catastrophic levels.

Reporting a genuine sense of optimism within their team, Vance argued that the main problem was not voter turnout.

Vance noted that many voters who backed Trump and him in the 2024 election turned to Democrats in 2026 due to anger over the Iran war, the cost of living, inflation, a lack of focus on “America First”, and current US ties with Israel.

Republican lawmakers pointed directly to Trump, arguing that the war, the administration’s tariff policies, excessive focus on personal projects such as the White House ballroom, and the backing of weak candidates in the midterms destroyed the party’s chances of retaining control of Congress.

According to projections by Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), Republicans lost at least 7 Senate seats in this outcome.

As of Wednesday morning, two Senate races, in Mississippi and Alaska, had not yet been formally called.

DDHQ data showed that Republicans also lost 30 seats in the House of Representatives, with more than 20 districts still undecided.

Addressing the forthcoming internal party dynamics, Vance admitted: “There’s going to be a lot of recrimination and debate about what happened and why. One pollster I really respect told me our economic messaging down the stretch wasn’t sharp enough. I’m sure that’s true.”

Claiming that over the next few months establishment politicians would try to distract from the truth by arguing “amnesty is the cure for what ails us”, Vance added: “I’m open to changing enforcement, such as focusing more on businesses that employ illegal labour. But anyone calling for amnesty is lying to you.”

Stating that he retained hope for the US despite the major losses, Vance concluded:

“To those who are angry and want to say ‘I told you so’: you’re right, you did. Channel that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To those who are just mad at the outcome: you have every right to be. Let’s take that anger and get back to work saving our country.”