Vance Blames Iran War for Republican Midterm Losses as Johnson Steps Aside From House Leadership Race

Vice President JD Vance blamed the war in Iran for the Republican Party’s losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections, writing in a post on X on Wednesday morning that the war drove up fuel prices and turned voters against the party. “The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote. “The president himself said so last night.”

The war in the Middle East began eight months ago, when the United States and Israel launched a joint attack against Iran, according to USA Today. Vance said the war was deeply unpopular among American voters and that Republican candidates paid a steep price at the polls, losing Senate races in states such as South Carolina, Texas and Kansas.

“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 wrote. “But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”

Johnson will not seek a leadership post

House Speaker Mike Johnson told staff on Wednesday morning that he would not run for minority leader after Republicans lost control of Congress, according to two sources familiar with the announcement cited by USA Today. Johnson won reelection in his Louisiana congressional district, but members of his party lost seats across the country in an election night that will put Democrats in the majority in the House and Senate in the next legislative session.

In a statement overnight, Johnson acknowledged what he called a seismic defeat for the Republican Party and wrote that “a new battle is just beginning.” He said Republicans would keep pressing their agenda and wrote that in 2028, “we WILL take back the House.”

Schumer expects to lead the Senate

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Wednesday morning that he is confident he will be the next majority leader once Democrats take back control of the Senate in January. Democrats flipped at least seven Senate seats to gain a 54-seat majority, according to USA Today, while two Senate races, in Alaska and Mississippi, remained undecided.

Schumer spoke despite the fact that several incoming Senate Democrats, including Minnesota’s Peggy Flanagan and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed, have said they would not support him continuing to lead the party in the chamber. “This issue is not me,” Schumer said. “I’ll be reelected as majority leader. But the issue is focusing on the American people and what they want.”

Reporting based on coverage by USA Today.