A source close to the White House warned that the ongoing conflict with Iran is likely to cement Republican losses in both chambers of Congress during the November 2026 midterm elections.
Republicans are growing increasingly concerned that escalating gas prices and broader cost-of-living pressures could undermine their campaign focus on tax cuts and border security. Arizona Republican strategist Barrett Marson stated, “We will not turn on the proverbial dime to right this course. Time is not on the president’s side when it comes to the November election.”
Another anonymous Georgia-based Republican strategist noted that few GOP candidates in the state would want Donald Trump campaigning there, particularly if his favorability ratings are in the mid-30s or lower: “I don’t think any Georgia Republican who understands the Georgia general electorate would want Trump coming here. If he’s in the mid-30s, it’d be a [expletive] blood bath.”
The White House asserts that voters will soon see gas prices drop and stock market gains from the recent ceasefire, alongside tax refunds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “As energy markets stabilize and historic tax refund checks hit mailboxes, Americans can rest assured that the best is yet to come,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai.
Following the ceasefire announcement, U.S. oil prices fell below $95 per barrel. Donald Trump plans to visit Arizona and Nevada to promote his economic policies.
Michigan Republican Mike Rogers, who is running for the Senate seat, emphasized the importance of 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 the board from being able to threaten everybody.”
