Vance blames Iran war for Republican defeat in US midterm elections

Washington: US Vice President J.D. Vance has blamed the war with Iran for the Republican Party’s defeat in the midterm elections, saying many voters who backed Donald Trump in 2024 switched their support to Democrats.

In a lengthy post on X on Wednesday, Vance said Republican data had indicated strong turnout among the party’s supporters but warned that their participation did not necessarily translate into votes for Republicans.

He cited four major concerns among disaffected Trump voters: ending the war, tackling the cost of living and inflation, putting America first, and changing Washington’s relationship with Israel.

“Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats,” Vance wrote, adding that the war was the central reason for the party’s defeat.

He said a pollster had warned before the election that Republicans could lose the national generic congressional ballot by 13 percentage points. However, Vance did not disclose the pollster’s identity or the survey’s methodology.

President Trump had also acknowledged that Iran was partly responsible for the Republican losses, while defending his decision to launch the military campaign.

Vance cautioned Republicans against using the election outcome to push for amnesty for undocumented immigrants, while expressing openness to adjustments in immigration enforcement.

Democrats won control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, according to CBS News projections. Their Senate gains included victories in North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and South Carolina.

The midterm elections were held midway through Trump’s second presidential term. The US-Israeli war with Iran, which began in February, disrupted regional shipping and energy markets, while rising fuel prices and household costs emerged as major campaign issues.