Vance Blames Iran War for GOP Midterm Losses as Trump Says He'd 'Do It Again'

Democrats reclaimed control of both the House and Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections. On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance posted a lengthy statement on X blaming the GOP's losses on the U.S. war with Iran.

"The reason we lost is the war. He cited pollsters who told him voters' top concerns included ending the Iran war, cost of living and inflation, putting America first, and changing the U.S. relationship with Israel.

Vance framed the defeat as a trade-off. "If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so," he wrote.

President Donald Trump, asked about Vance's comments, largely agreed the war affected the election but remained committed to the military action.

An ABC News voter poll found 34% of voters said the war was "crucial" to their vote.

A sitting vice president publicly attributing his party's electoral rout to a war his own administration is still waging is a rare break inside an administration. Vance has said he would decide after the election whether to run for president in 2028. His statement was widely interpreted as an effort to distance himself from Trump ahead of a potential run.

The split sets up a 2028 fault line over whether the Iran war was worth losing Congress for six years, as Vance framed it. Voters' stated priorities — ending the war, costs, the Israel relationship — suggest the GOP's coalition is being pulled in directions Trump's "do it again" stance may not satisfy.