JD Vance blames Iran war, Israel ties for Republican midterm defeat

US Vice President JD Vance said voter frustration over the war in Iran and the US-Israel relationship doomed Republicans in the midterm elections, distancing himself from some of President Donald Trump’s policies before a possible 2028 White House bid.

“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance said in a lengthy X post Wednesday. The vice president’s comments were his first since voters delivered a sharp rebuke to Trump and his fellow Republicans over their handling of the cost of living and the war, giving Democrats control of the House and Senate.

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Vance went further than Trump did in blaming the war for Democrats’ landslide victory, which saw them win at least 54 Senate seats and potentially 258 seats in the House to Republicans’ 177, according to an NBC News projection.

After the election was called for Democrats, the president said on Fox News that a “part of it” was Iran. But Trump also defended the war as vital for global security and said voters were merely upset with high gasoline prices caused by the conflict.

Vance cited a pollster, who he said listed four reasons why voters who had backed Trump in 2024 abandoned Republicans in the midterms, two of which were “End the war” and “Change our relationship to Israel.”

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War fuelled oil spike

The war in Iran, launched by the US and Israel in late February, triggered higher energy prices, exacerbating voter concerns about the high cost of living that dominated the run-up to the election.

Vance has been seen as a skeptic within the administration over the decision to attack the Islamic Republic.

“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,” Vance wrote. “Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest.”

Critics of Vance, who served as a lead peace negotiator earlier this year with Iran, said he should not escape blame for the fallout from the war and accused him of trying to jockey for position as the race to succeed Trump in the White House takes shape.

“JD Vance is putting long screeds on Twitter saying how the Iran war was a problem. That is not because JD Vance has a soul. It is not because he has a spine. It is because he is an upwardly aspirational Republican who understands that he needs to differentiate himself from Donald Trump,” Democratic Representative Sean Casten of Illinois told reporters on Wednesday.

The US relationship with Israel was also a flashpoint in many races, particularly in Michigan where the victorious Democratic Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, criticised US funding for the longtime ally and said that money could be better spent on domestic priorities.

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Vance has repeatedly criticised Israel and its government.

He declined to endorse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection, as Trump did, and over the summer he accused some of the country’s officials of “manipulating” public opinion to keep the war in Iran going indefinitely.

The vice president’s criticism has irked some Jewish Republicans and pro-Israel groups.

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, who has long been close to Vance, endorsed his comments on X, using the 100-percent emoji to signal his support: “Every word of this is 100 100 100.”

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