{"id":2616307,"date":"2026-06-19T12:54:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T16:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/swing-district-republican-opposed-bombing-iran-as-2024-candidate\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T12:56:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T16:56:28","slug":"swing-district-republican-opposed-bombing-iran-as-2024-candidate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/swing-district-republican-opposed-bombing-iran-as-2024-candidate\/","title":{"rendered":"Swing-district Republican opposed bombing Iran as 2024 candidate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fswing-district-republican-opposed-bombing-iran-as-2024-candidate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2616307&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep. Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania criticized his GOP opponent,Kevin Dellicker,for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukrainian-president-zelensky-accuses-retreating-russian-troops-of-leaving-mines\/\" title=\"Ukrainian President Zelensky Accuses Retreating Russian Troops of Leaving Mines\">supporting regime change<\/a> and bombing Iran,labeling him a &#8220;neocon&#8221; in teh 2024 Republican primary. Mackenzie opposes these approaches, arguing they could lead to &#8220;forever wars.&#8221; Despite criticizing Dellicker, Mackenzie has voted four times to support the ongoing war, reflecting the complex stance within the Republican Party on Iran. Mackenzie emphasized during a debate that U.S. actions should be cautious to prevent escalation, and he underlined his &#8220;America First&#8221; commitment, aligning wiht Trump\u2019s policies.Democrats are leveraging the conflict to question Republicans\u2019 consistency on foreign policy, with polling indicating public dissatisfaction with the war.Congress has voted to end U.S. involvement in Iran, but presidential veto power and legislative barriers hinder these efforts.Mackenzie has criticized increased foreign aid, including aid to Ukraine, and advocates for avoiding &#8220;forever wars,&#8221; emphasizing the success of military strategies that degraded Iran\u2019s capabilities without ground troops. His stance remains nuanced,balancing war efforts against fiscal and strategic concerns.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) criticized his GOP opponent for supporting \u201cregime change\u201d and \u201cbombing <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iran<\/a>\u201d while a candidate for Congress in 2024, even as the congressman has since voted four times to uphold the war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mackenzie, who represents one of the most <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\">competitive districts<\/a> in the country, criticized Kevin Dellicker as a \u201cneocon\u201d in the 2024 Republican primary for his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pennsylvania\/\">Pennsylvania<\/a> House seat, and said regime change and attacking Iran were the \u201cwrong solution\u201d that would lead to \u201cforever wars.\u201d <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4615190\/ryan-mackenzie-kevin-dellicker-regime-change-bombing-iran-2024-house\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Swing district Republican opposed regime change, bombing Iran as 2024 candidate for House<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4615730\/republican-national-committee-record-fundraising\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Republican National Committee boasts all<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >-time high cash total<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4615001\/seven-house-races-shift-toward-democrats\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Seven House races shift toward Democrats: Cook Political Report<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat we hear is the neocon talking points out of Kevin Dellicker in an email that he put out when Iran did attack some of our interests in the Middle East,\u201d Mackenzie <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wfmz.com\/business\/business-matters\/business-matters---2024-7th-congressional-republican-primary-debate-part-2\/video_f150a599-d482-5661-99c6-fb27c542e988.html\">said<\/a> during a March 2024 debate. \u201cHe said that there were a couple of options on the table: bombing Iran, or regime change. That will lead to war with Iran, that will lead to American troops on the ground in Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His subsequent war powers votes underscore the political tightrope now facing Republicans, particularly those who ran under the \u201cAmerica First\u201d banner and have generally opposed sending troops into harm\u2019s way. Mackenzie is among the Republicans who say Congress shouldn\u2019t weaken the president\u2019s \u201cleverage\u201d and tie his hands with a vote to end hostilities. Yet he\u2019s also raised concerns about the length of the war and the possibility that it drags on indefinitely.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOnce the president has taken that action, that first action, if we were to pull back, it would actually leave us more vulnerable and less safe by leaving all of their capabilities in place but having started a conflict like this,\u201d Mackenzie <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/republicans-hand-trump-wheel-iran-one-red-line-emerges\">told<\/a> Fox News in March, days after the war began.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo, we do need to follow through on the objectives, but we also need to be very much on guard to make sure that it doesn\u2019t expand beyond what we are able to achieve,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense hawks are facing a similar dilemma as President Donald Trump prepares to wind down the war, expressing concern over an interim peace deal that may not fully dismantle Iran\u2019s nuclear capabilities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The House <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/4576195\/house-clears-resolution-to-rein-in-trumps-war-powers\/\">voted to end<\/a> the war in Iran earlier this month, with all Republicans except four opposing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-warns-trump-over-war-powers-deadline-amid-iran-standstill\/\" title=\"GOP ...ns Trump over ... powers deadline amid ... standstill\">latest war powers resolution<\/a>. But legislative action can easily be vetoed by Trump, and the Senate blocked a similar measure this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president has offered several rationales for the war in Iran, chief among them dismantling Tehran\u2019s nuclear program. On regime change, Trump has given <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-goals-iran-war-and-what-hes-saying-now-nuclear-missiles-regime-change\/\">conflicting messages<\/a>, both touting the removal of Iranian leaders and stating he \u201cnever cared\u201d about pursuing it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mackenzie positioned himself as an \u201cAmerica First\u201d Republican throughout his 2024 campaign, siding with Trump at a time when he promised to negotiate an end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And though he\u2019s continued that posture since his election, Democrats are eager to use the Iran conflict to claim a double standard on the part of Republicans. Earlier this month, Bob Brooks, his general election opponent, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/VoteBobBrooks\/status\/2062360830214086694?s=20\">posted<\/a>, \u201cWhat changed buddy?\u201d after Mackenzie\u2019s third vote on the Iran war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brooks and other Democrats are hoping to exploit public sentiment against the war and have used the same line of attack in other races. According<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/fox-news-poll-voters-doubt-new-agreement-stop-iran-developing-nukes\"> to a recent Fox News poll<\/a>, 58% of voters think the United States made the wrong decision in launching the war in late February.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pennsylvania\u2019s 7th District, which Mackenzie has represented since 2025, is among those being targeted this cycle by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Congress has not had to vote on the cost of the war, so far estimated at $29 billion. But the White House is expected to request a Pentagon funding bill later this year that would address Iran as well as this year\u2019s targeted operation in Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mackenzie was critical of \u201cspending hundreds of billions of dollars on foreign wars\u201d during the 2024 campaign and has continued that opposition as a freshman lawmaker.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He opposed a bill providing more Ukraine aid last week, arguing the legislation \u201cliterally moves us backwards.\u201d It is not yet clear how he would handle a vote to offset the cost of the Iran war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked about his prior views on Iran, a spokesman for Mackenzie noted that he\u2019s voted to end the use of military force authorizations that, until recently, were still on the books for Iraq and said the congressman has emphasized \u201cthe need for caution in military conflicts like Iran to guard against a new forever war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4613001\/read-iran-mou-deal\/\"><strong>READ IN FULL: THE 14-POINT PEACE AGREEMENT WITH IRAN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCongressman Mackenzie remains opposed to the failed neocon foreign policies of the past that started as bombing and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-bolton-triggers-americas-enemies\/\" title=\"John Bolton Triggers America\u2019s Enemies\">regime change efforts<\/a> and resulted in decades-long wars that took an unfathomable toll on America and our interests,\u201d spokesman Arnaud Armstrong said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Congressman is encouraged that the military operations in Iran successfully degraded Iran\u2019s nuclear and military capabilities through air superiority, eliminated terrorists who targeted Americans, and diminished Iran\u2019s ability to project terror through its proxies \u2014 all while avoiding the use of ground troops and securing a peace plan in just over 100 days, as opposed to American troops being deployed for more than 20 years,\u201d Armstrong said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) criticized GOP rival for Iran war stance, voted four times to support it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3691,"featured_media":2616308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP25351686486535.jpeg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2616307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP25351686486535.jpeg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2616307"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2616311,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616307\/revisions\/2616311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2616308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2616307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2616307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2616307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}