{"id":2697496,"date":"2026-11-04T00:37:01","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T05:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignrepublicans-learned-nothing-from-2006-about-midterms-and-foreign-wars\/"},"modified":"2026-11-04T00:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T05:38:12","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignrepublicans-learned-nothing-from-2006-about-midterms-and-foreign-wars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignrepublicans-learned-nothing-from-2006-about-midterms-and-foreign-wars\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP Learned Nothing From 2006 About Midterms, Foreign Wars"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/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%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignrepublicans-learned-nothing-from-2006-about-midterms-and-foreign-wars%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=2697496&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>Tuesday\u2019s midterms look poised to be the biggest Republican losses since 2006, when voters punished the GOP over a poorly conceived war in the Middle East, The Federalist\u2019s Sean Davis said on X.<\/p>\n<p>Exit polling in 2006 showed 56% of voters disapproved of the Iraq War, adn most of those voters supported Democrats by an 80-18 margin. Two decades later, an October Pew survey found 65% of Americans disapproved of how President trump handled U.S. military action in Iran, while just 33% approved. the Associated Press reported that roughly one-third of voters said the Iran conflict was an vital factor in their congressional vote this cycle.<\/p>\n<p>Prominent commentators had argued there was little downside to striking Iran. Marc thiessen told the Washington Post that Iran was weakened and vulnerable to U.S. strikes, calling it a rare opportunity to deliver a decisive blow. Bret Stephens of the New York Times also argued there could be a case for attacking Iran despite the risks. Heritage Foundation adviser James Carafano declared that the U.S. had already won the war.<\/p>\n<p>But the conflict has continued longer then some predicted, and public approval of Trump\u2019s performance has fallen. A recent Pew poll found just 35% of Americans now trust his foreign-policy decisions (down from 53% in November 2024) and only 35% trust his handling of the economy (down from 59%). By Election Day 2006, voters said by 59-35 that the Iraq War hadn\u2019t made America safer.<\/p>\n<p>The political fallout from the Iran conflict echoes 2006: in 2006, 36% of voters said they voted against President George W. Bush.In a Pew survey this October, 44% of registered voters said their congressional vote was intended as a rebuke of Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Author note: Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist and a Fordham University graduate in International Political Economy.  <\/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<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/kenlund\/112789634\">Ken Lund\/Flickr<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>        <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/11\/04\/republicans-learned-nothing-from-2006-about-midterms-and-foreign-wars\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Republicans Learned Nothing From 2006 About Midterms And Foreign Wars&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/11\/04\/republicans-learned-nothing-from-2006-about-midterms-and-foreign-wars\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Republicans Learned Nothing From 2006 About Midterms And Foreign Wars&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/11\/04\/republicans-learned-nothing-from-2006-about-midterms-and-foreign-wars\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/11\/04\/republicans-learned-nothing-from-2006-about-midterms-and-foreign-wars\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Republicans Learned Nothing From 2006 About Midterms And Foreign Wars&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/11\/04\/republicans-learned-nothing-from-2006-about-midterms-and-foreign-wars\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;Republicans Learned Nothing From 2006 About Midterms And Foreign Wars&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tuesday\u2019s midterm elections are shaping up to be the \u201cbiggest national wipeout for Republicans since 2006, when voters brutally punished the GOP for an ill-advised and poorly planned war in the Middle East,\u201d The Federalist\u2019s CEO and co-founder Sean Davis <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/seanmdav\/status\/2117799679513567623\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in a post on X.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2006, 56 percent of voters disapproved of the Iraq War, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of a national <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/2006\/11\/08\/centrists-deliver-for-democrats\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exit poll<\/a>. The majority of those voters backed Democrat candidates, 80 percent to 18 percent.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2284969720\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Twenty years later, Pew released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/short-reads\/2026\/10\/08\/iran-conflict-remains-deeply-unpopular-as-many-americans-expect-it-to-go-on-for-months\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">survey<\/a> in October that found 65 percent of Americans disapproved of how President Donald Trump was handling U.S. military action in Iran, while just 33 percent approved. According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/projects\/elections-2026\/voter-poll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>, roughly one-third of voters said the Iran War was a crucial factor in their vote for Congress this election cycle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this wasn\u2019t the outcome that the war\u2019s advocates have pushed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is no U.S. downside to striking the Iranian regime,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2026\/01\/14\/iran-regime-protest-trump-strike\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Marc Thiessen<\/a> wrote in The Washington Post in January. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is no downside to striking the regime. Trump has already done so twice, and each time, Iran was unable or unwilling to retaliate. Indeed, the Soleimani strike came at a time when Iran was much stronger than it is today. Since then, Iran has suffered repeated blows that have left it weaker than at any time since the 1979 revolution,\u201d Thiessen wrote. Thiessen went so far as to say \u201cIran is strategically naked\u201d and \u201cunable to effectively defend itself against a U.S. strike or respond decisively either directly or by proxy. This gives Trump a historic opportunity to deal the regime a mortal blow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The New York Times\u2019 Bret Stephens <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2026\/02\/24\/opinion-case-striking-iran\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> an entire piece making \u201cthe case for striking Iran\u201d in February. Stephens noted that Trump was not giving an explanation for possibly striking, <em>but<\/em> that \u201cit doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t a compelling case for action.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDespite the risk that military strikes entail, the bigger risk, in the judgment of history, would be to fail to take it,\u201d Stephens wrote. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Heritage Foundation Senior Counselor James Carafano <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediamatters.org\/us-iran-relations\/fox-guest-responding-hegseth-presser-reality-us-has-already-won-war-period-mic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in response to a March press briefing that, \u201cThe reality is the U.S. has already won this war, period. Mic drop. End of statement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But now, the war we were repeatedly promised would end quickly is still dragging on, and Americans are clearly unhappy with Trump\u2019s handling of the conflict.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/politics\/2026\/10\/08\/trumps-approval-rating-drops-as-fewer-americans-are-confident-in-his-handling-of-the-economy-other-issues\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">poll<\/a> released last month found only 35 percent of Americans were confident in Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-bombed-as-many-countries-in-2025-as-in-his-entire-first-term\/\" title=\"Trump bombed as many countries in 2025 as in his entire first term\">foreign-policy decision-making<\/a>, down from 53 percent in November of 2024. Confidence in Trump\u2019s economic decision-making also went from 59 percent to 35 percent over the same period. Meanwhile, by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/2006\/11\/08\/centrists-deliver-for-democrats\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Election Day<\/a> 2006,<strong> <\/strong>a margin of 59 to 35 percent of voters said the Iraq War had not made America safer.<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The political consequences of the Iran War also mirror those of the Iraq War. In 2006, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/2006\/11\/08\/centrists-deliver-for-democrats\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">36 percent of voters<\/a> claimed they voted to oppose President George W. Bush. Meanwhile, in a Pew survey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/politics\/2026\/10\/08\/with-americans-in-a-sour-mood-democratic-voters-are-more-engaged-in-midterms\/?\">released<\/a> in October of this year, 44 percent of registered voters saw their congressional vote as a vote against Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/foreign-policy\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Foreign Policy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/george-w-bush\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">George W. Bush<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/iran\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Iran<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/iraq\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Iraq<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/midterms\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Midterms<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Analysts say Tuesday\u2019s elections could mark the largest nationwide GOP setback since 2006, when voters punished the party over the Iraq War.<\/p>\n<p>In 2006, 56% disapproved of the Iraq War, and most of those voters backed Democrats (about 80% to 18%). A Pew poll from October shows 65% disapprove of Trump\u2019s handling of Iran policy, with 33% approving; roughly one\u2011third say the Iran War influenced their congressional vote.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates for striking Iran argued there is little downside. Marc Thiessen in the Washington Post claimed the U.S. has already struck Iran twice without meaningful retaliation, and that Iran is weaker now than it was during earlier tensions, leaving Tehran vulnerable to a strike. He described Iran as \u201cstrategically naked\u201d and unable to defend itself against an American attack or respond effectively, even by proxy, which could give Trump a historic opportunity to deal a fatal blow.<\/p>\n<p>Bret Stephens of the New York Times also argued for striking Iran, noting there isn\u2019t always a clear justification in advance, but suggesting there can be a strong case for action and that, despite the risks of military action, not acting could be the bigger historical error.<\/p>\n<p>Heritage Foundation adviser James Carafano said at a March briefing that the U.S. has already won the war.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the conflict is dragging on, and public opinion is turning against Trump\u2019s management of it. A recent poll found only 35% trust Trump\u2019s foreign\u2011policy decisions, down from 53% in November 2024, and confidence in his handling of the economy fell from 59% to 35%.<\/p>\n<p>By comparison, in 2006 about 59% believed the Iraq War had not made the U.S. safer. Politically, the parallels are evident: a Pew survey from October showed 44% view their congressional vote as a vote against Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Brianna Lyman is The Federalist\u2019s elections correspondent, a Fordham graduate in International Political Economy, with work appearing on multiple outlets<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2697497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/112789634_a0d997fabd_o-e1793764222960.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[87460,6571,45060,6203,7408],"class_list":["post-2697496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-87460","tag-elections","tag-foreignpolicy","tag-gop","tag-midterms"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/112789634_a0d997fabd_o-e1793764222960.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2697496","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\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2697496"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2697496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2697500,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2697496\/revisions\/2697500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2697497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2697496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2697496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2697496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}