Vance pivots to economic nationalism and Iran war exit after Republican losses

Vice President JD Vance shifted his midterm campaign strategy to emphasize his own policy identity, focusing on economic nationalism and foreign policy restraint rather than President Donald Trump's signature issues, following Republican losses in Tuesday's vote. Vance publicly blamed the Iran war for the Republican defeat and called for ending the conflict, addressing affordability, and overhauling US-Israel relations. The change was deliberate, with Vance and advisers viewing these topics as politically potent, though Trump defended the war and reshuffled White House leadership. Vance is seen as a leading potential 2028 presidential contender, though he hasn't announced a run and Trump hasn't endorsed him. His postmortem drew support from Donald Trump Jr., but Republicans lost in states where Vance campaigned, and some endorsed strategies may have hurt races.