WorldPosted at: Nov 5 2026 4:19PM


JD Vance blames Iran war for Republican Defeat as Democrats seize control of Congress

Washington, Nov 5 (UNI) US Vice President JD Vance has attributed the Republican Party's defeat in the midterm elections to the Iran war, saying the conflict is "the reason we lost", as Democrats secured control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. His remarks highlight growing divisions within Republican ranks over the Trump administration's foreign policy following sweeping Democratic gains.
Vance acknowledged the political implications of the administration's foreign policy, saying the Iran war was "the reason we lost", highlighting divisions within Republican ranks over the conflict.
Democratic leaders, meanwhile, have signalled an aggressive approach towards the incoming congressional majority, promising investigations into the Trump administration and its policies.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his party would "entangle [Mr. Trump] in legislative razor wire", indicating a tougher congressional challenge to the president's agenda.
Incoming House Oversight Committee chairman Robert Garcia has identified several areas for investigation, including businesses linked to the Trump family, immigration enforcement, corporate contributions towards the proposed White House ballroom and the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The Democrats are projected to secure between 251 and 268 seats in the 435-member House, while winning at least 54 seats in the Senate, giving them control of both chambers of Congress when the new legislature takes office next year, according to CBS News projections.
The party made significant gains across the country, flipping Republican-held Senate seats in Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina and Maine. Texas, Kansas and South Carolina elected Democratic senators for the first time in decades.
The results marked a major political setback for Trump, whose unpopularity appears to have fuelled Democratic gains and raised questions about the Republican Party's direction ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
The political fallout is already emerging, with House Speaker Mike Johnson telling staff members he would not seek another term as Republican leader, setting the stage for a contest over the party's leadership in the House.
Trump has also been discussing the future of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth with advisers, although the president later said he was not considering removing him, CBS News reported.
The Democratic victories also extended to traditionally Republican territory, with the party flipping more than two dozen GOP-held House districts, including several in areas previously considered safely Republican.
In California, Democrat Marni von Wilpert defeated Republican Jim Desmond in the 48th Congressional District, marking the fifth Republican-held seat in the state to turn Democratic. Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson also defeated Republican David Flippo in Nevada's 2nd Congressional District, a seat long represented by Republicans.
The election also produced historic firsts for Native American women. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland won the New Mexico governor's race, becoming the first Native American woman elected to lead a US state, while Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan became the first Native American woman elected to the US Senate.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz described the results as a "blue tsunami" and a "Watergate-level repudiation" of the party, acknowledging the scale of the losses.
"We've lost the House, we've lost the Senate," Cruz said, adding that Republicans needed to understand why voters had rejected their candidates.
Two Senate contests, in Mississippi and Alaska, remained unresolved, with the final outcome potentially taking days or weeks. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom held a narrow lead of just over 1,000 votes over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, with several thousand ballots still to be counted.
In Alaska, the contest between Republican Senator Dan Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola was also yet to be decided.
The results are expected to complicate Trump's legislative agenda for the remainder of his presidency, as Democrats prepare to use their congressional majority to intensify oversight of the administration and challenge its policy priorities.
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