Vice President JD Vance said the war in Iran contributed to Republicans’ midterm election losses. (Foto: Instagram)
Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday, Nov. 4, that Republicans lost the midterm elections because of the war in Iran. In a post on X, Vance said, “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said that last night.”
Vance said internal Republican research found that some people who voted for Donald Trump in 2024 switched to Democratic candidates. He identified four main reasons for the shift: a desire to end the war in Iran, concerns about the cost of living and inflation, a preference for putting the United States first, and a desire to change the country’s relationship with Israel.
Vance said Republican turnout was not the problem. Rather, he said, many Republican voters supported Democratic candidates. He also argued that Republicans need to recognize why they lost. “If you want to argue that it was worth it—that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it—then do that,” he wrote. “Argue that it was a valid cost to pay. Agree or disagree, at least that’s honest.”
The Democratic Party won majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, in what the report characterized as a historic defeat for Trump. Voters also chose governors in 36 states. Democrats won in 22 states, while Republicans won in 12.
Five states that elected Democratic governors had previously been led by Republicans: Georgia, Iowa, Texas, Ohio and Nevada. In Texas, Gina Hinojosa became the first Democrat elected governor in 36 years. In Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms won after 28 years of Republican victories in gubernatorial elections.
