Election 2026 live results: Vance says 'obvious' reason Republicans lost is Iran war

Vice President JD Vance posted a lengthy social media post examining why Republicans lost on Election Day and said it was "obvious" that it was because of the Iran war.

"The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance said.

“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. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest,” he added. “But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”

Trump often suggested on the campaign trail that the war, and inflated gas prices, were “a small price to pay” to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Vance in the past has been supportive of the war.

Vance argued that Republicans were not failed by turnout among Trump 2024 voters, saying they “showed up,” but that those Americans, according to “the smartest data guy” he knows, were “planning to vote for the other guys.”

“The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026,” the vice president said.

-ABC News' Fritz Farrow

Rep. Jim Jordan officially launched his bid to be the next minority leader, according to a letter he sent to his colleagues on Wednesday, which ABC News obtained.

"This is a staggering day for our Conference,” Jordan wrote. “As we look to the future, we must learn from these results.”

Jordan said he is “battle-tested on oversight” and Republicans must tout their policies.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

Democrats are projected to retake the House for the first time since 2020 in an election where President Donald Trump’s shadow loomed large over the proceedings.

Democrats made small but substantive improvements in their share of the vote across many groups and benefited from Trump’s deep unpopularity and voters' negativity about the economy.

According to ABC News Voter Polls, about 6 in 10 Americans who voted on U.S. House races disapprove of Trump’s performance as president, including 53% who strongly disapprove.

Voters who strongly disapproved of Trump supported Democrats for the House by an 89-percentage-point margin. Just 2 in 10 voters in U.S. House races strongly approved of Trump and they supported Republicans by a 96-point margin.

More than half of voters for the U.S. House strongly disapprove of Trump’s performance as president, according to ABC News Voter Polling. That's the highest strong disapproval share for any president dating back to the 2008 election, when George W. Bush was president and Barack Obama was elected.

Read more here.

-ABC News’ Sofi Sinozich, Laura Silver and Emily Guskin

Speaker Mike Johnson informed his staff Wednesday that he will not run for House minority leader, according to multiple sources familiar with the call.

Johnson's decision to step aside comes just hours after Republicans suffered deep losses Tuesday night.

Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan indicated to allies that he is expected to run for minority leader, according to sources familiar with the matter.

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Speaker Johnson not running for House minority leader: SourcesSpeaker Mike Johnson informed his staff Wednesday that he will not run for House minority leader, according to multiple sources familiar with the call.

ABCNews.com

House GOP leadership elections are scheduled for Nov. 10. Candidates have until Nov. 6 at noon to declare candidacy.

-ABC News’ Lauren Peller, Katherine Faulders, John Parkinson and Jay O’Brien