JD Vance has spoken out for the first time since the Republican Party suffered defeat in the midterm elections, claiming the "real reason we lost is obvious to everyone."
In a statement posted on social media, the vice president said many people who voted for the Trump/Vance ticket in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026, and he pointed to the war as the main cause.
Vance on turnout and voter shifts
Vance said data analysts on his side had focused on "composition," or whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. He noted turnout was strong in some states and "downright amazing" in others, but that a top data expert warned him that many Trump/Vance 2024 voters were "pissed and planning to vote for the other guys."
He cited Florida as an example, where the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, only a couple of points worse than in 2024. Vance said the main problem was not turnout but that many 2024 supporters had switched their votes.
Four reasons for the loss
Vance said a pollster he respects told him the top four reasons voters abandoned the Republicans were: end the war, focus on cost of living and inflation, put America First, and change the relationship with Israel. He said these accounted for nearly all of the responses.
He also defended Rachel Campos Duffy, who had called for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, saying her political advice was sound.
Vance said the reason for the loss was the war, adding that the president himself said so. He argued that anyone pushing amnesty is "lying to you," though he said he was open to changing enforcement by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor.
