JD Vance blames Iran war for Republicans' midterm wipeout

Only hours after the Republican Party’s historic loss in Tuesday’s midterms, Vice President JD Vance broke his silence, blaming the lopsided election results on the ongoing war with Iran.

“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance said Nov. 4 in a lengthy post on X. “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.”

Vance’s comments on Wednesday morning came as Democrats swept races across the country, regained control of Congress, and are set to have clear majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

According to an NBC News exit poll, 37% of respondents said the United States made the right decision to take military action against Iran, while 74% said the war with Iran was a crucial or major factor in their vote.

Vance echoes Trump

Vance's comments echoed President Donald Trump’s statements, which he made to various news outlets as results rolled in across the nation.

"Iran was a ​piece of it," he told The Wall Street ​Journal, but went on to double down on his decision to launch the war, calling it the “right thing” and saying he would have done it again.

The continuing war has been a point of deep discontent for Americans, with 65% disapproving of the way Trump has handled the conflict, according to an October poll from Pew Research Center.

A homefield loss

Tuesday’s Democratic wave saw Republicans lose Vance’s old Senate seat in Ohio, with Democrat Sherrod Brown completing a political comeback.

Brown, the former senator who lost his reelection bid two years ago, defeated former Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. In the run-up to Tuesday’s elections, Vance made it clear that the race was personal for him.

"It's definitely personal to me, and hopefully he's going to pull it out. I feel good about it," Vance told USA TODAY of Husted on the Joint Base Andrews tarmac.

Contributing: Francesca Chambers/ USA TODAY

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.