More Republicans running in close races calling for end to Iran war

Several Republicans running in competitive statewide and federal races are joining growing calls in their party to end the war in Iran with less than 40 days until the midterm elections.

As of Friday, 17 incumbent congressional Republicans running for re-election or non-incumbent candidates for Senate or governor's seats have called for an end to the war, either through votes in Congress to rein in President Donald Trump’s war powers or in statements on the campaign trail or online.

This comes as diesel fuel prices have jumped by nearly 60% since the conflict began at the end of February and as voters sour on the president -- a CNN poll conducted last week found 67% of Americans disapproved of Trump's job performance and 73% disapproved of how he was handling the situation in Iran. And 73% of Americans said that the war with Iran was having a negative effect on their financial situation, including 59% of Republicans.

Since the war in Iran started, Congress has voted on resolutions calling on Trump to get Congress' approval to continue hostilities in Iran. Of the 20 resolutions voted on, some Republicans have voted with Democrats five times to pass resolutions, though they don't force the president to do anything.

The GOP candidates who have broken with Trump on the war include six incumbent members of Congress running for reelection and five Republicans running in statewide races. Four of those five are currently in Congress and have voted against the war powers resolutions.

Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, a former congressman, cut an ad on Monday saying, "The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly. When it does, energy costs will plummet." He has since said that any deal to end the war must ensure Iran can't build a nuclear weapon, Trump's stated goal for the conflict.

In Wisconsin, Rep. Tom Tiffany, the GOP nominee for governor, told ABC affiliate WISN on Wednesday, "it's time to move on."

"The president has final say in regards to this, but I just believe that we should be exiting Iran -- that it's time to move on," Tiffany said. "We've degraded their nuclear facilities. We degraded their military. Most of their ships are in the bottom of the ocean. Time to come home, take care of business here in America."

Tiffany's opponent, Democrat Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, put out an ad this week that slammed the congressman for voting in lockstep with the president on the war.

"Five times he has had the chance to end the war that’s driving our prices up, and five times he’s chosen Trump instead. Tom Tiffany’s only loyal to Trump -- not us, Wisconsin,” Crowley said in a press release.

Ohio Republican Sen. John Husted, facing a tight race for reelection, told Politico on Tuesday, "The war needs to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices," but he again voted against a war powers resolution on Thursday.

Iowa Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, who's running in a tight Senate race, has voted against war powers resolutions, but reversed her position on Monday, calling for an "immediate end" to the war.

"Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran," she wrote. "We need to use every option at our disposal to provide some relief from high prices. … These actions to lower costs are needed ASAP, and the war needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end.”

A day later, she insisted the House return to Washington, D.C. to address rising fuel prices, promising to "work with anyone to deliver."

“The House should return to DC immediately to work to pause diesel exports, suspend the gas tax, fully unleash E15 and biodiesel, and work on a diesel relief program for truckers and farmers," Hinson wrote on X.

House Speaker Mike Johnson last week canceled the two remaining weeks of its session and let the House leave early, saying, "It's time for our members to go home to their districts and make their case to the American people to go and explain all the great things we've done."

Hinson's Democratic opponent Josh Turek, a state lawmaker, responded on X, "It's easy to send a tweet but when you had the chance to vote to end this war, you chose not to. You voted seven times to continue it, including just last week."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the Republicans who have recently broken with Trump on the war during a news conference Wednesday, saying that several of them are "on the verge of losing."

"Where were these Republican sycophants over the last six-plus months?" he said.

Iowa Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who had opposed the war powers resolution but voted in favor of it last week, said in a statement, "Americans do not want another forever war."

She cited her military service and acknowledged the rising gas prices driven by the war in Iran, saying that Iowans are "paying too much at the pump."

And Iowa Republican Rep. Zach Nunn voted against previous war powers resolutions but broke with the president on the most recent vote.

"Iowa has already paid a devastating price, including two service members killed by an Iranian drone in Kuwait."

Nunn also recently demanded action on diesel prices, writing on X on Monday, "My plan: Sell American energy to Americans first. Pass my Iowa-led biofuel bill = bring down gas 50 cents. Hold Big Oil accountable for gouging," Nunn wrote.

ABC News' Lalee Ibssa, Jonathan Parker, Laura Peller and John Parkinson contributed to this report.