WASHINGTON – In Wisconsin, a narrator warns that “groceries, utilities, everything’s getting more expensive,” and accuses Congressman Derrick Van Orden of making matters worse. The ad says he voted for the costly Iran war and the resulting spike in gas prices.
In Nebraska, Democratic candidate Chris Backemeyer says families are struggling under the pressure. “And Mike Flood opened the gates,” he says, accusing Flood of voting six times for Trump’s tariffs and the Iran war—decisions he says have driven up the cost of groceries, gas, cars and medicine by $1,000 a year for families.
In Iowa, the Vote Vets Action Fund claims Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson voted five times for the Iran war, “giving us record prices for gas and fertilizer.”
These ads are among the latest examples of Democrats and allied advocacy groups turning an unpopular war into a political weapon as they seek to regain control of the House and Senate. The effort grew out of a strategy launched in the spring, when Democrats repeatedly introduced war powers resolutions designed to end the conflict. Although the measures had little practical impact, they forced lawmakers to take a public position.
Those votes are now being featured in campaign commercials nationwide, according to an Associated Press review of AdImpact data, which tracks political media spending.
In some races, the Republicans being targeted have never held congressional office and therefore could not have voted on the war powers resolutions. Democrats are nevertheless portraying them as likely rubber stamps for President Donald Trump on the conflict.
Tying the war to the cost of living
The AP examined broadcast and cable advertising aired from Sept. 1 through Oct. 14 in the most competitive midterm contests. The review covered House and Senate races rated tossups or leaning Democratic or Republican by the Cook Political Report, along with a smaller sample of streaming ads.
Iran-related ads appeared in at least half of the 50 races studied, and most connected the conflict to household financial pressures. In total, the commercials aired more than 43,000 times on television since Sept. 1, at an estimated cost of $42 million. The AP identified the spots using AdImpact’s issue labels and its own review of the ads’ language.
Of the 65 distinct Iran-themed ads identified by the AP, 61 highlighted cost-of-living concerns, including higher fuel prices and more expensive everyday goods.
The Republican playbook
Republicans have largely avoided discussing the Iran war in their own advertising. Their stronger approach, Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said, is to focus on Democratic vulnerabilities and persuade voters that the opposing candidate would be worse.
“In the end, you’re trying to get as many Republicans out to vote for you as possible and bring over some independents,” Bonjean said. “And talking about the Iran war is really not a winning message because you’re playing on the Democratic turf.”
Since Sept. 1, Republican ads have focused primarily on taxes and crime, followed by character, healthcare and immigration.
Some Republican candidates have attempted to separate themselves from the conflict in other public settings. In Michigan, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has said the “war with Iran needs to end — and end quickly.” His Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, has aired ads saying the war is consuming $1 billion a day despite the United States having “no business fighting” it. El-Sayed says he wants to invest those tax dollars in Michigan instead.
In Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins said during a recent debate that she had voted nine times to end the conflict. Democratic challenger Troy Jackson countered that she had voted five times to “make it happen.”
The Senate has voted 14 times on resolutions seeking to halt or limit Trump’s military action against Iran. Since the conflict began in late February, the House has held six votes on similar measures.
In the most recent House vote, seven Republicans joined Democrats in supporting an end to the war. Four of them—Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Iowa lawmakers Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn—are running for reelection in highly competitive districts. Barrett and Fitzpatrick had previously supported removing U.S. troops from hostilities, while the vote marked the first such support from Miller-Meeks and Nunn, signaling growing Republican unease with the conflict.
Where Iran ads are most prevalent
Iran-related commercials accounted for roughly 5% of all television spots in the competitive races examined, but the issue has dominated some contests. The highest concentration was recorded in California’s 48th Congressional District in the San Diego area.
Roughly a third of the 12,000 aired ads touch on Iran. Democrats are seizing on a remark that Republican Jim Desmond made in the early days of the war, in which he said “no pain, no gain” as part of an interview on Real America’s Voice. He also said in that interview he believed the higher prices were just “a spike” and would come down once the U.S. eliminated Iran’s nuclear capability.
“No pain, no gain?” asks an ad from Democratic candidate Marni von Wilpert. “Tell that to a family filling up their gas tank.”
Desmond and the National Republican Congressional Committee responded with an ad that doesn’t mention Iran but criticizes von Wilpert for raising taxes and fees when she was on the San Diego City Council. In contrast, the ad says Desmond fought to lower costs and supports suspending the gas tax.
Not far behind in Iran-related ads are Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, now held by Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans, and Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, an open seat. Roughly a quarter of the ads in those districts touch on Iran. Both are highly competitive races.
Meanwhile, some 4,000 Iran-themed ads have aired in Ohio, or about 4% of the total in one of the nation’s most expensive contests. Nearly all were from Democrat Sherrod Brown’s campaign and leaned heavily on pocketbook themes.
