Two Republicans in tight Senate races have called for an end to the war in Iran, the latest sign that some candidates feel compelled to distance themselves from President Trump as they face voters angry about surging prices tied to the conflict.
Representative Ashley Hinson of Iowa, running for the open Senate seat in her state against Josh Turek, a Democrat, and Mike Rogers, who faces Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat, in Michigan, both separated themselves from the president on Monday after months of defending his authority to attack Tehran.
It was a particularly surprising shift in posture for Ms. Hinson, who voted less than a week ago against a resolution calling on Mr. Trump to halt military operations in Iran or seek congressional approval for them. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in supporting that measure, and two were Ms. Hinson’s Iowa colleagues — Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
Persistently high fuel prices driven by the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, launched in February, have caused frustration especially in rural areas and red states where trucks and farms rely on diesel, which reached $6.50 per gallon on Sunday, according to AAA.
The candidates’ remarks underscore mounting concern among some Republicans that the fallout from the conflict could prevent the party from retaining control of Congress. Democrats seized on the lawmakers’ turnabouts, noting that Ms. Hinson and Mr. Rogers had defended Mr. Trump and arguing that their proposals to tame fuel prices echoed Democratic platforms.
In a social media post, Ms. Hinson said that she supported the suspension of gas taxes, a pause in diesel exports and “a successful and immediate end” to the war. “Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran,” she said.
Mr. Rogers proposed similar measures in a campaign ad released later on Monday. “The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly,” Mr. Rogers, standing in a grocery store, says in the video. “When it does, energy costs will plummet.”
The candidates’ appeals put them directly at odds with Mr. Trump, who has dismissed concerns about the rising gas prices. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $4.47, up 20 cents from last week, according to AAA Gas Prices. Mr. Trump said in a speech in North Carolina last week that the soaring costs were “a very inexpensive price to pay” for the war. He has said for several months that the war would end soon, easing prices.
But voters have grown increasingly weary of the conflict. More than three-quarters of independent voters said that they disapproved of Mr. Trump’s handling of the war, along with other issues like the economy, immigration and the cost of living, according to a poll from The New York Times and Siena University released last week.
Top Republicans have proposed to ban diesel exports to ease fuel prices before. Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa called on Mr. Trump to institute an embargo over the weekend, while Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, indicated last week that he was open to exploring the option. Another Republican, Vivek Ramaswamy, the nominee for governor in Ohio, said on social media on Monday that he supported a gas tax suspension.
Republicans have sought to distance themselves from the president in other ways. Mr. Rogers said last month that he supported a one-year moratorium on data center construction despite Mr. Trump’s vocal support for the A.I. industry.
Ms. Hinson has similarly downplayed her ties to Mr. Trump and the administration as a whole, skipping an appearance onstage at the president’s midterm convention in Dallas this month and opting not to attend a rally on Friday headlined by Vice President JD Vance in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Her campaign cited previously scheduled events as the reason.
Senator John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, on Tuesday called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate Donald Trump Jr. over whether he used his family relationship for financial benefit. Mr. Curtis also demanded the same scrutiny for Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joseph R. Biden.
On Monday, Democrats criticized the reversals. Dr. El-Sayed assailed Mr. Rogers as inconsistent, saying in a statement that “for Mike, we will see which way the wind is blowing next week.”
Mr. Turek, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Iowa, responded to Ms. Hinson on social media, needling her for changing her mind.
“Glad you’re finally following my lead after waffling on the proposals I put forward last week to address the rising costs of the war in Iran,” Mr. Turek said.
Including last week’s vote, Ms. Hinson has voted six times against her colleagues’ efforts to rein in Mr. Trump’s war powers in Iran. Three of those resolutions have passed the House, though only one has passed both chambers.
The resolutions are not binding. So far, they have not seemed to influence Mr. Trump’s approach to the war.
Bayliss Wagner contributed reporting.
The post Republicans in Tight Senate Races Call for End to Iran War appeared first on New York Times.
