DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two House Republicans in battleground Iowa districts, including one who recently campaigned alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, changed their position on an Iran war powers resolution, joining with Democrats and a few other dissident members of their party in an attempt to halt President Donald Trump's ability to continue military action without congressional approval.
The shift reflects the political pressure on Republicans before midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. The war remains unpopular and has led to soaring fuel prices.
Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks voted for the resolution on Tuesday after previously voting against it.
“With the negotiating window closed, sustained combat operations now require congressional authorization,” Nunn, an Air Force veteran, posted on social media. “I will not support another open-ended war.”
Nunn campaigned with Hegseth last month in Iowa, and the Pentagon chief had lauded Nunn as an ally who didn’t need any last-minute, late-night phone calls from Trump to persuade him to support the president’s agenda.
“Zach Nunn is not a 3 a.m. congressman,” Hegseth said at a fundraiser for Nunn during the Iowa State Fair. “He’s willing to take the tough votes to do the right thing on behalf of our war fighters.”
Nunn is up against Sarah Trone Garriott in November's election.
Miller-Meeks, an Army veteran, said in a statement the president needs to present a plan to Congress and the public showing how the war ends so “we can focus on bringing our soldiers home and lowering prices.”
“Americans do not want another forever war," she said. “I will not vote to keep our soldiers in an open-ended war, with Iowans paying too much at the pump.”
She faces a reelection rematch against Christina Bohannan, whom she has defeated twice before.
Voting shift reflects a growing weariness on the war
Both Republicans have advocated for Trump's actions in Iran as a deterrent against that country's nuclear capabilities. But their hesitation to see the prolonged conflict continue suggests the impacts are increasingly wearing on Americans, and particularly on Iowans. Eighteen U.S. service members have died in the war with Iran. Two are from Iowa, and one used to live in Iowa.
In addition to rising prices for gasoline, the price of diesel is reaching new highs just as U.S. farmers are ready to take their diesel-fueled equipment to the fields for harvest.
National polling indicates that the Iran war remains unpopular with Americans overall. Only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of Iran in a July AP-NORC poll, and a September New York Times/Siena poll found that most likely voters, about 6 in 10, think Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran was the wrong one.
Tuesday's House vote was the third time lawmakers voted to end the war in Iran. The margin was similar to earlier efforts, with a few more Republicans joining all Democrats in voting to bring an end to the conflict.
In addition to Nunn and Miller-Meeks, retiring Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina also shifted her position on the resolution. They joined Republican Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who had already been voting in favor.
Barrett and Fitzpatrick are seeking reelection in battleground districts, while Davidson represents a seat Trump won handily in 2024.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, who represents northeast Iowa but is running to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst, voted against the resolution. Endorsed by Trump, Hinson faces Democrat Josh Turek for the seat, which Republicans are spending millions of dollars to defend.
Hinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Republicans are optimistic but watching Iowa closely
Republicans have been optimistic that Iowa will remain a red state, but the competitive races have gotten attention even from the White House. Trump visited suburbs of Des Moines for a rally in January and dispatched Vice President JD Vance in May to campaign for Nunn.
Republicans continue to outnumber Democrats in both Nunn's and Miller-Meeks' districts, but they are among the most competitive districts in the country.
Miller-Meeks of southeastern Iowa was reelected in 2024 with less than a percentage point advantage, fewer than 1,000 votes, over Bohannan.
Nunn, who represents Des Moines and its surrounding suburban and rural counties, won in 2022 by unseating a Democrat who was elected during Trump’s first midterms.
After Hegseth campaigned with Nunn, a group of over 400 former national security officials filed a complaint asking for an investigation into whether the secretary violated the Hatch Act, which restricts political activities by federal officials.
Hegseth's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Catalini reported from Morrisville, Pennsylvania.
