Republicans are welcoming former President Donald Trump's recent moves to ease tensions with Iran, but many fear the effort may come too late to blunt potential losses in the 2026 midterms, Politico reported.
"This war in Iran almost cements the fact that we lose the midterms in November — the Senate and House," a person close to the White House told Politico on condition of anonymity.
Republicans are worried that high gas prices and other cost-of-living concerns could leave them on the defensive as they try to focus on tax cuts and border security.
"We will not turn on the proverbial dime to right this course," Barrett Marson, an Arizona Republican strategist, told the outlet. "Time is not on the president's side when it comes to the November election."
A Georgia-based Republican strategist said that he doubts GOP candidates in the state want Trump campaigning there.
"I don't think any Georgia Republican who understands the Georgia general electorate would want Trump coming here," the strategist, who was granted anonymity, told Politico. "Particularly if [Trump's favorability is] in the high-30s or mid-30s. If he's in the mid-30s, it'd be a [expletive] blood bath."
The White House argues voters will begin to see gas prices drop and stock market gains from the ceasefire, along with the benefits of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act being reflected in their tax refunds.
"As energy markets begin to stabilize, historic tax refund checks hit the mail, and the rest of the Trump administration's pro-growth agenda continues taking effect, Americans can rest assured that the best is yet to come," White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to Politico.
Following the ceasefire announcement, U.S. oil fell below $95 a barrel. Trump plans to visit Arizona and Nevada to tout his economic policies.
Mike Rogers, a Republican running for Michigan's open Senate seat, told Politico Wednesday that he sees significant opportunity to correct the record on affordability.
"Anytime you're a nation at war, you're concerned. But I think they feel that the president is going in the right direction and accomplishing what he needed to accomplish by taking a terrorist state off of the board from being able to threaten everybody," he said.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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