JD Vance Says "The Reason We Lost Is the War" After Democrats Take Congress
Vice President JD Vance has broken his silence after Democrats won control of both the House and Senate, and he is not blaming turnout.
"The reason we lost is the war," Vance wrote in a lengthy post on X on Wednesday, pointing to voter frustration over the Iran war and America's relationship with Israel.
Vance said Republican data analysts had watched turnout closely, and the numbers looked encouraging. "Our voters are turning out, but they may not vote for us," one data expert warned him before Election Day.
"Our Voters Did Show Up"
According to Vance, that warning proved accurate. He pointed to Florida, where the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple of points worse than 2024.
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"The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026," he wrote.
Vance acknowledged there will be plenty of infighting over what went wrong. One pollster he respects told him the party's economic messaging "wasn't sharp enough down the stretch." "I'm sure that's true," Vance wrote. "But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone."
Vance said a pollster he described as one of the smartest people in politics had predicted Republicans would lose the generic ballot by 13 points, a figure that even shocked him.
That pollster asked Trump 2024 voters who had abandoned the party what would bring them back. The top four answers were: end the war, focus on the cost of living, put America First, and change the U.S. relationship with Israel.
Warning on Amnesty
Vance also praised Rachel Campos-Duffy, who had been criticized for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. "It turns out her political advice was sound," he wrote.
He warned that establishment politicians would now push amnesty as the answer. "Anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you," Vance said, though he said he was open to focusing enforcement more on businesses that hire illegal labor.
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"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," he added. "But everyone knows why we lost."
"The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night," Vance wrote.
He closed on a hopeful note, urging angry voters to channel that energy into electing Republicans who share their worldview and "get back to the work of saving our country."
Democrats Take Charge
Democrats won the House after flipping enough Republican-held districts to pass the 218 seats needed, putting Hakeem Jeffries in line to become Speaker when the new Congress convenes January 3.
Several races remained uncalled on Wednesday, and NBC News said Democrats could end up with their largest House majority in nearly two decades. The result ends two years of unified Republican government.
Jeffries told NBC's "Meet the Press" that Democrats "haven't ruled anything in and we haven't ruled anything out" on a possible third impeachment of President Trump.
Democratic control will give Jeffries and his caucus authority over committees, hearings, subpoenas and which bills reach the House floor.
NBC News exit polling found 43% of voters said opposing Trump was a reason for their vote, while 71% said Congress had not provided enough oversight of the president.