The United States (US) Vice President (VP) JD Vance has blamed the Iran war for the Republican Party’s losses in the midterm elections, saying that the conflict contributed to voters turning against the party and cost it control of the Senate.
In a lengthy post on X on Wednesday, Vance referred to President Donald Trump’s remarks that the war was “part of it” when discussing the election results and argued that Republicans needed to acknowledge the conflict’s political cost.
“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote.
“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. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest,” he added.
“But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”
Democratic gains in Tuesday’s midterm elections have also raised questions about Vance’s position as a potential frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. He has not formally announced a bid for the White House.
Vance, who has previously criticised US military intervention abroad, had reportedly expressed reservations about the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in late February.
He also acknowledged that some voters who supported the Trump-Vance ticket in the 2024 presidential election had backed Democrats in the midterms, citing the war and its impact on the US economy.
“The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026,” he wrote.
Vance added that polling had identified the war, the cost of living and inflation, US foreign policy and the country’s relationship with Israel as key concerns among voters who had shifted their support.
Among the four main reasons cited by those voters were ending the war, addressing living costs, putting America first and changing the US relationship with Israel.
Trump acknowledged that the conflict had contributed to the Republican losses, admitting that it had pushed up petrol prices in the short term.
Speaking to reporters at the construction site of his White House ballroom on Wednesday, a sombre Trump said that Vance’s assessment was “largely true”.
However, he defended the decision to attack Iran, maintaining that preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons justified the military action.
“But at the same time, if I had to do it again, I’d have to do it again. Because long term, it’s the only answer. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
