Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) is joining a growing number of Republican Senate candidates calling for an end to the war in Iran, as rising gas prices and the conflict become prominent issues in competitive races ahead of the November midterm elections.
“The war needs to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices,” Husted told Politico.
Husted’s comments come days after Republican Senate candidates in Iowa and Michigan also called for the conflict to end, putting some distance between the battleground candidates and President Donald Trump, who has continued to defend the war while saying he expects the United States and Iran could reach a deal after the elections.
Husted is running against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, in Ohio’s closely watched Senate race. The contest is rated a toss-up by the major nonpartisan election handicappers, while recent polls have shown Brown with a narrow lead.
The Ohio race has already been shaped by economic concerns, including a backlash over the state’s rapid expansion of data centers and their possible impact on electricity costs. Republicans have raised concerns that the issue could hurt Husted.
“More than any other thing in this race, data centers are the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck,” the National Republican Senate Commission wrote in an August memo.
Now, the Iran war and its effect on energy prices are emerging as another challenge for Husted and other Republicans running in competitive states.
Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers called for an end to the war in a new campaign ad this week, saying, “Michigan families are struggling with the price of everyday life” and that the conflict “needs to end, and end quickly.” Rogers had previously supported Trump’s Iran policy.
In Iowa, Republican Senate nominee Ashley Hinson said Monday that voters “shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran.” The following day, Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved the Iowa Senate race from “Leans Republican” to a toss-up.
The shift comes as Republicans in Congress have also begun breaking with the administration over the president’s authority to continue military action without congressional approval.
The Senate has agreed to consider a House-passed war powers resolution directing Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran. Under an agreement reached last week, the Senate is scheduled to take up the measure by Oct. 2.
Husted previously voted against efforts to invoke the war powers resolution to end the war with Iran. In June, he voted against a House-passed resolution that ultimately cleared the Senate 50-48. He also voted against several earlier measures seeking to curb Trump’s authority over the conflict.
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Still, Husted told Politico that he believes Iran needs to reach a deal with Trump to end the conflict, adding, “I don’t know anybody that doesn’t want the war to come to an end.”
Husted is also balancing his relationship with Trump, who endorsed his Senate campaign. Trump and Vice President JD Vance are expected to campaign in Ohio in the coming weeks as Republicans seek to bolster Husted and turn out the party’s voters.