Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that Republicans lost the midterm election in decisive fashion because of the Iran war.
The post Vance: Republicans Lost Midterms Because of Iran War appeared first on Breitbart.
Amid the Democratic slaughter of Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections, there was good news for the GOP in Nebraska, as U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts defeated independent Dan Osborn, NBC News projected.
Osborn, a pipe fitter, faced a barrage of attacks calling him a secret Democrat, the news network reported, adding that Osborn said he wouldn't caucus with either party if elected, but the Nebraska Democratic Party still backed him.
'We don't need a socialist ideology.'
“Democrat Dan is too extreme, and he would be the most extreme senator we’ve ever sent to the U.S. Senate from Nebraska,” Ricketts said at a September debate, according to NBC News. “And if he were in charge of the Senate and gave it to the Democrats, that would be a disaster for Nebraska.”
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The sharp attacks underscored the tougher-than-expected nature of the race in a state Donald Trump won by 20 points in 2024. The same year, Ricketts won a special election to serve the final two years of GOP former Sen. Ben Sasse’s term by 25 percentage points. Osborn, however, lost by just 7 points in his first Senate bid, against Republican Sen. Deb Fischer two years ago.“Prices are all going down. Prices are all going way down, but they really are going to plummet as soon as that war ends," Trump said at the rally, according to the news network. "It’s going to be very soon."
“And today, I’m announcing another unprecedented step to bring down costs for many years. Farm vehicles, construction equipment, and other off-road vehicles have used what is known as ‘red dye’ diesel,” Trump said, NBC News reported. “Do you know what that is? I don’t know what the hell it is, but whatever it is, it’s supposed to be very good.”
The news network noted that Osborn — a Navy veteran and former union organizer — backed Trump’s move but called it a “Band-Aid.” NBC News also noted that while Osborn frequently emphasized Nebraskans' economic struggles, he "rarely directly criticized Trump by name in a state with plenty of his supporters."
Ricketts tried to remind voters that they elected him to statewide office three times.
While Ricketts was behind Osborn in the vote tally early Tuesday, the incumbent shot past Osborn later in the night.
Ricketts' chances may never have been too much in doubt, as The Hill on Saturday reported that Ricketts led Osborn by six points in a New York Times/Siena University poll — 49% to 43% — among likely Nebraska voters.
The Associated Press' latest vote tally Wednesday showed Ricketts leading Osborn by nearly the same margin: 50.4% to 43.7% with 91% of the votes counted.
On Wednesday morning, Ricketts in his victory speech emphasized that "we don't need a socialist ideology."
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Wednesday, during an appearance on Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom," fresh off his blowout general election, Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-TX) emphasized his willingness to work with Republicans in the coming Congress.
The post Talarico: ‘I Am Not Interested in Retribution’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Florida Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) thanked his "Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" first and foremost after his nail-biter victory in Florida's gubernatorial race Tuesday evening.
The post Bryon Donalds Thanks ‘Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ After Florida Victory appeared first on Breitbart.
Although Democrats ran away with statewide victories in Ohio, Nevada, and North Carolina, voters still chose to vote “yes” by wide margins for voter ID.
The post Nolte: Voter ID Wins in NC, NV, and OH — Loses In CA, AZ, and CO appeared first on Breitbart.
Vice President JD Vance made his thoughts on the midterms clear Wednesday morning: The Iran conflict sank Republicans.
Vance saw the writing on the wall and noted that many members of the Trump-Vance coalition had gone in another direction. With gas prices high and unabating legislative gridlock, there were few paths to victory for Republicans.
'If you'd like to argue ... that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. ... That's at least honest.'
Vance's post was frank.
"The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026," Vance wrote. "There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is."
"But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone. Another pollster — one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we’d lose the generic ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this," the vice president wrote. "In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team."
"The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were: 1) End the war 2) Focus on cost of living/inflation 3) Put America First 4) Change our relationship to Israel," the vice president wrote.
Exit polls showed that Iran was a "crucial" factor in the midterm election.
RELATED: Iran conflict was 'crucial' factor in Republican rout: Exit polls
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Images
"Our voters showed up," Vance said. "And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats."
Republicans won white men by 12%, but lost their gains among Latinos and other races, according to NBC News exit polls. Young men also defected, swinging 41 points in Democrats' direction.
The midterms showed that these 2024 Trump-Vance voters are not guaranteed parts of the Republican coalition, despite trusting the GOP more on issues like immigration and crime.
"The reason we lost is the war," the vice president said. "The president himself said so last night."
"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," Vance wrote. "Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.
"But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there."
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Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is reportedly planning to run for House Minority Leader after Republicans lost their majority in the House of Representatives on Tuesday night.
The post Ohio’s Jim Jordan to Run for House Minority Leader appeared first on Breitbart.
Democrat Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs won her reelection bid against Republican challenger Rep. Andy Biggs.
The post Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs Secures Victory in Arizona Gubernatorial Race appeared first on Breitbart.
NASA's Swift Observatory, a gamma-ray-hunting telescope that spent two decades watching the universe's most violent explosions, is expected to fall from orbit within hours.
The post NASA’s Swift Observatory Is Crashing Back to Earth Today After 21 Years in Orbit appeared first on Breitbart.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continued arresting illegal aliens on Election Day, nabbing those convicted of crimes like attempted murder, aggravated assault, and child molestation, Breitbart News has learned.
The post Exclusive: ICE Arrests Illegal Aliens Convicted of Attempted Murder, Child Sex Crimes on Election Day appeared first on Breitbart.
In the three years that Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) has served as speaker of the House, he has seen his party enjoy a landslide victory and suffer a crushing defeat. Owing to the defeat on Tuesday, his tenure is up on Jan. 3.
Johnson's office confirmed to Blaze News that "the speaker will not be running for minority leader."
'I know what it will take to lead our Conference in the minority.'
The decision to depart his Republican leadership role in the House constitutes an about-face, given his assertion to CBS News last month that, "if, heaven forbid, we lost the majority, I would expect my colleagues would call upon me to continue to lead the conference in divided government."
"My intention is to stay and serve, and that's what I've been doing, as best I can," Johnson added at the time.
Reps. Steve Scalise (La.) and Jim Jordan (Ohio) are two of the Republicans putting their names forward in House Republicans' leadership elections next week.
A person said to be familiar with Scalise's plans told Axios that he "is a proven and tested leader who is ready on day one. He's spent his career unifying Republicans and he is prepared for the big legislative and oversight battles ahead. The conference knows him, how he fights, and that he's a trusted leader."
RELATED: Iran conflict was 'crucial' factor in Republican rout: Exit polls
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Scalise has served as House majority leader since 2023 — the same year he dropped out of the running for the House speaker role.
Jordan also launched his bid on Wednesday, stating in a letter to colleagues obtained by CNN, "I am battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats' playbook. I know what it will take to lead our Conference in the minority, to stay unified, and to coordinate and calibrate our response to the Democrats' tactics."
"With your help, I will use every minute of the next two years working to advance our Republican priorities and restore our majority," he added.
Neither Scalise nor Jordan immediately responded to Blaze News' request for comment.
On the Senate side, a spokesperson for South Dakota Sen. John Thune confirmed to Blaze News that he will be pursuing the role of Senate minority leader.
Editor's note: This article has been edited after publication to incorporate comment from a spokesperson for Sen. Thune.
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