About three-quarters of voters said the Iran war was a crucial factor in which candidate they supported in the 2026 midterm elections, according to an NBC exit poll.
Among the 74% of voters who said the Iran war was a crucial factor, 62% voted Democrat and 35% voted Republican.
President Donald Trump’s operation in Iran has led to increased oil and gas prices, spelling trouble for Republicans in the midterms. The White House originally said the Iran war would be a four- to six-week operation, but it has stretched into an eight-month conflict.
“Haven’t finished the job, and maybe I will, and maybe I won’t,” Trump said in a Fox Business interview reacting to election results.
Democrats retook control of both the House and the Senate. As of 10 a.m. Eastern, Senate Democrats will hold 54 seats, the Republicans 44, with races in Alaska and Mississippi still to be decided. In the House, Democrats have won 241 seats to the Republicans’ 149, with 45 races still to be called. Only 218 seats are needed for a majority.
In a CBS exit poll, most voters said the U.S. made the wrong decision to take that military action in Iran, including about a quarter of Republicans.
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Trump acknowledged that the unpopularity of the Iran war played a role in the election results, telling Fox Business, “I think a part of it was Iran.”
“People agree with what I’m doing on Iran, but they really probably weren’t willing to do the short-term consequence of playing anything more for gasoline,” he said.
According to the NBC exit poll, 39% of voters identified the economy as the most important issue facing the country. Another 75% said the national economy was in poor shape, and 65% said Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the U.S.
More than 60% held Trump responsible for high prices.
Eighty-eight percent said they were concerned about food and grocery prices, followed by 87% concerned about gas and diesel, 86% concerned about utilities, and 85% concerned about healthcare prices.
About 4 in 10 U.S. voters nationally said the economy was the most important issue facing the country, expressing concern about gas and grocery prices, according to an Associated Press exit poll. Another 75% of voters were “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the direction of the country.
More than 6 in 10 said they disapproved of Trump’s performance. Trump had a 38% approval rating, with 62% disapproving.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents to the CBS exit poll said the president factored into their midterm vote for the House.
During Trump’s 32-day midterm campaign blitz, he made himself a key player in the elections, urging voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot.”
Vice President JD Vance urged voters to overlook the high prices and consider the bigger picture.
“Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater,” he said at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.
Despite his heavy involvement in the races this election cycle, the president did not take responsibility for the sweeping losses.
“They didn’t like the candidates, and some of the candidates that I endorsed fought me, and they didn’t like it,” he told Fox Business.
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