Newz(AP) — Mike Gibbons sat out the presidential election two years ago, frustrated that Democrat Kamala Harris did not take a stronger stand against Israel's war in Gaza and unable to bring himself to cast a vote for Republican Donald Trump.That is not his plan this year.The 33-year-old restaurant server in this eastern Pennsylvania town that once housed one of the world's largest steelmakers is eager to vote for any Democrat he can in November. As the war with Iran that Trump initially said would last weeks surpasses six months on Friday, Gibbons is feeling the fallout every time he fills his tank at nearly $1 per gallon more than last year.“The price of gas affects the price of everything and the price of everything's up and my pay hasn't gone up,” he said. “I'm doing blue no matter who this time.”The Iran war has reshaped the rapidly approaching midterm elections, undermining Trump's campaign pledge to steer clear of foreign conflicts and challenging Republicans who would rather focus on their tax cuts as they cling to narrow majorities in Congress.While the president's supporters are undeterred, the war's unpopularity and economic ripple effects could tilt the scales in tightly contested U.S.
House districts like the one in Bethlehem, where Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie is one of this year's most vulnerable incumbents.Midterm elections are always difficult for the party in power in Washington. But interviews with voters around the country show how a war that Trump expected to end with a swift victory could undermine the final years of his presidency.Many US adults say the war has not been worth fightingAbout two-thirds of U.S.
adults say the war with Iran has not been worth fighting, according to a July poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That includes the vast majority of Democrats and independents, as well as more than one-third of Republicans.Although Trump has long criticized Iran's leadership, he did little to prepare Americans or allies for such a lengthy conflict. Bush, for instance, spent more than a year making a case for launching a war in Iraq through speeches and attempts to build an international coalition.
Trump did none of that.Trump has refused to acknowledge the war's cost, saying this month he would “never apologize” for higher prices stemming from it and i… The 33-year-old restaurant server in this eastern Pennsylvania town that once housed one of the world’s largest steelmakers is eager to vote for any Democrat he can in November. “The price of gas affects the price of everything and the price of everything’s up and my pay hasn’t gone up,” he said.
While the president’s supporters are undeterred, the war’s unpopularity and economic ripple effects could tilt the scales in tightly contested U.S. Ryan Mackenzie is one of this year’s most vulnerable incumbents. Midterm elections are always difficult for the party in power in Washington.
Many US adults say the war has not been worth fighting About two-thirds of U.S. Although Trump has long criticized Iran’s leadership, he did little to prepare Americans or allies for such a lengthy conflict. Trump has refused to acknowledge the war’s cost, saying this month he would “never apologize” for higher prices stemming fro…
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