Key facts
- Two Republican Senate candidates, Mike Rogers and Ashley Hinson, are calling for a swift end to the war in Iran.
- Their stance marks a notable shift from previous support for President Donald Trump's actions regarding the conflict.
- Both candidates cited concerns over rising fuel prices and the impact on constituents.
- President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to a career-low 32%, with 17% approval for his handling of the cost of living.
- Democrats accused the candidates of election-year repositioning due to economic pressures.
Two Republican Senate candidates, Mike Rogers and Ashley Hinson, are publicly calling for a swift end to the war in Iran, a stance that diverges from President Donald Trump's previous support for military action. This shift is seen as an effort by vulnerable candidates to distance themselves from the conflict ahead of the November midterm elections, particularly as rising fuel prices become a political liability.
Hinson, a sitting member of the House of Representatives, has previously voted to support Trump's authority to strike Tehran. However, she recently stated on social media that "Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran,” advocating for measures like suspending gasoline taxes and pausing diesel exports.
Rogers, running in Michigan, also adopted a more dovish tone in a campaign ad, stating, "The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly." He echoed Hinson's calls for suspending state and federal gasoline taxes and halting US diesel exports, arguing that energy costs would plummet once the war concludes.
Democrats have criticized these calls as election-year repositioning. Abdul El-Sayed, Rogers' opponent, stated that Rogers was "only flip-flopping now because gas hit $5 a gallon and diesel prices hit record highs." Josh Turek, Hinson's opponent, commented that it was "easy to send a tweet, but when you had the chance to vote to end this war, you chose not to."
President Trump's approval rating has fallen to a career-low 32%, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, with 17% approval for his handling of the cost of living. The conflict in Iran has been ongoing for nearly seven months, contributing to stubbornly high inflation and economic concerns among Americans.