Opposition to the Iran war fueled the Democrats' "blue tsunami," Vice President Vance argued in a surprisingly blunt midterms postmortem today, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.

• Vance's comments effectively kick off the 2028 election cycle, with the vice president distancing himself from Trump's highly unpopular war.

🤳 Vance wrote on X: "The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night."

• "If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest."

Vance argued that Republicans need to do four things to win voters back: End the Iran war, focus on inflation, "put America First," and "change our relationship to Israel."

• He wrote: "To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let's take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country."

⛽️ Trump said this afternoon that he agrees that the war "drove the gasoline up a little bit, short term."

• "But at the same time, if I had to do it again, I'd have to do it again because long term, it's the only answer," he added at an impromptu White House ballroom event.
• "You have no choice. You have to do it. You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon."

The intrigue: Donald Trump Jr. responded to Vance's post: "Every word of this is 💯💯💯."

Neither the White House nor the vice president's office responded to Axios' requests for comment.

• Go deeper.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) plans to step down as the House's top Republican after the GOP's epic midterm election losses wiped out his party's majority, Axios' Kate Santaliz reports.

📝 Johnson told colleagues in a letter that his decision wasn't easy, but that the demands of serving in leadership had required significant sacrifices from his family.

• He wrote: "After three years in this role, I believe the time has come for me to give them more of the attention and presence they so richly deserve." (Read his letter.)

Johnson's exit touches off a potentially contentious scramble to replace him.

• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) have both thrown their hats in the ring.

🗳️ What's next: House Republicans are set to hold leadership elections on Nov. 10.

• Go deeper.

1. 📊 In the seven states where Republicans redrew congressional boundaries, they're on track to lose as many as eight seats — rather than gain the 15 they had hoped to pick up. More from Hans Nichols.
2. 🍔 Traffic at McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. fell during Q3 as customers struggled with high gas prices and other costs. Go deeper.
3. 💊 CVS Health is splitting its health and pharmacy services businesses into two public companies, reversing a get-big strategy involving mergers with prescription benefits provider Caremark and insurance firm Aetna. More from Brock E.W. Turner.

Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), at right above, is set to become the first openly gay male U.S. senator, after beating Republican John Sununu in New Hampshire.

• Pappas is shown with his husband, Vann Bentley, last night at a victory party in Manchester, N.H.
• Pappas' campaign focused on issues like affordability, health care and political corruption.

🎤 The senator-elect said in a victory speech last night: "Whether you're a Republican, an independent or a Democrat, tonight's victory is for you, because this is a victory for team New Hampshire over the broken status quo that is hurting all of us just the same."

• More historic firsts.