Republicans blame Iran war for midterm defeat as Hegseth faces impeachment push

A defeat Republicans blame on the Iran war

Democrats won majorities in both houses of Congress in the midterm elections on Tuesday, 3 November, costing Republicans control of the Senate and the House. The Iran war, which began on 28 February, has become the main explanation offered inside the party. Trump's first reaction, a Truth Social post at 22:37 on election night, blamed weak candidates and said he had not been on the ballot, although he had explicitly backed 280 candidates for Congress or governor.

On Wednesday, 4 November, Vice President JD Vance, a possible successor to Trump, blamed the war and its effect on inflation for the defeat and put it bluntly:

“The reason we lost is the war.”

Trump later said it was "largely true" that the conflict had cost his party seats. He added that he would order the operation again because Tehran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear bomb, and he acknowledged that the war was one of the factors in the vote.

Massie's push to impeach Hegseth

Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News co-host who has led the Defense Department since early 2025, is drawing the sharpest criticism. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of the Republicans who opposed the intervention in Iran, filed eight articles of impeachment against him in September. Massie accuses Hegseth of launching the war without congressional authorization, violating the laws of armed conflict and obstructing congressional oversight. The House suspended its sessions before the articles could be voted on, and Massie has said he will revive them when Congress reconvenes on 9 November unless Hegseth resigns.

Senator Thom Tillis questioned Hegseth's management in early November and said the Defense chief would have to answer to Congress for his decisions. Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, was more direct:

“I'm going after Pete Hegseth. Not only is he incompetent and corrupt, he's undermining our national security and the safety of our troops.”

Trump backs Hegseth, but reports point to alternatives

Trump said on Wednesday that he did not plan to replace Hegseth and that the Defense chief was doing "a very good job". Several US outlets reported that Trump has been asking advisers what to do about Hegseth. The Washington Post reported that Trump is more irritated with senior officials, who he believes may not have given him all the information he needed during the conflict, than with the war itself. Other names Trump is reportedly weighing are General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Thursday that Hegseth "will not back down or be deterred by politicians" seeking partisan points, and that the secretary is 100 percent committed to leading the department until Trump's term ends. Some outlets have reported that Hegseth could seek the Senate seat from Tennessee, which becomes vacant because Marsha Blackburn was elected governor on Tuesday.

The war behind the losses

The war has partly blocked the Strait of Hormuz, and its effect on energy prices has hit American voters hard. It has also cost American lives and consumed expensive munitions that the US will take years to replace. His record further includes strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, and the removal of dozens of senior officers who disagreed with his priorities.

What happens next

Congress reconvenes on 9 November. With Democrats holding majorities in both chambers, they can open investigations and move to curb funding for the Defense Department and the Iran war. Representative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said oversight of the department and of the "illegal war against Iran" would be the committee's top priority.

Beyond the Pentagon, Republicans have started discussing the party's direction ahead of the 2028 presidential race, with JD Vance and Marco Rubio mentioned as possible contenders.