Campaign Iran attack becomes latest flashpoint in Senate races by Ryan Mancini - 02/28/26 7:00 PM ET by Ryan Mancini - 02/28/26 7:00 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING The U.S. strikes on Iran early Saturday has become the latest major issue addressed by candidates running in some of the more competitive Senate races. Reactions came after the U.S. and Israel carried out joint strikes on Iran overnight, attacking military command and control facilities, ballistic missile and drone launch sites, military airfields and Iranian air defense systems. All of the reactions came before President Trump announced that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attack. Democratic and Republican candidates running for Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) Senate seat were vocal in their condemnation or support for the strikes. Most gave longer statements with state Rep. James Talarico (D) simply writing the social platform X, “No more forever wars.” Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) slammed Trump for refusing “to even pretend that he cares about following the law.” She called the Senate election one of “life or death!” “CONGRESS, not the PRESIDENT, but CONGRESS has the EXCLUSIVE authority to declare war!” she wrote on X . “Speaker [Mike Johnson] needs to call us in IMMEDIATELY & it is time for the House & the Senate to pass a war powers resolution! This is how you prove your love and respect for the constitution.” “This is how you show your constituents that you are truly patriots!” she added. “It is time for us, collectively, as Dems and Repubs to stand up to this President. Please call your reps in the house and the senate and urge them to take a vote on a war powers resolution!” Republicans running for Cornyn’s seat –– including Cornyn himself –– praised the attack. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) wrote on X that Trump “did it again. PEACE THROUGH AMERICAN STRENGTH!” Cornyn accused Iran of having its “tentacles of terror” destabilize the Middle East and wage “war on the West and our values” for decades. He then praised Trump for bringing about “an opening for these dark days to come to an end.” “It is my hope that the Iranian people, after years of oppression and being ignored by previous Democrat administrations, will finally be free, and I’m proud of the support being provided by President Trump and the United States,” Cornyn wrote on X . Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) congratulated Trump for his “courageous leadership.” Crockett leads Talarico 46 percent to 43.6 percent, according to the  Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ)  polling average. DDHQ has Paxton leading the Republican primary with 38 percent support, following by 35.3 percent for Cornyn and 17 percent for Hunt. News of the airstrikes also entered the Senate Democratic primary race in Maine as a topic of backlash. Candidate Graham Platner slammed Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the latter of whom he could face in November if he wins the primary. Platner shared Fetterman’s post on X applauding the strikes. “A man who has never seen war and never will, cheering this on from a comfortable perch in Washington,” Platner wrote . “Every Senator who fails to stop this war should lose their seat, starting with @SenSusanCollins and @SenFettermanPA.” Collins’s other Democratic opponent, Gov. Janet Mills (D), called on the Republican lawmaker to use the power “she claims to have to conduct oversight, demand answers, and stand up to the clear abuses of the President.” “Trump’s unilateral military action against Iran is recklessly pushing the United States into a dangerous conflict in the Middle East, putting the men and women of our military into harm’s way and ignoring the Constitutional imperative to consult Congress,” Mills wrote on X . “This is yet another abuse of power from a president who constantly disregards the rule of law.” Collins praised the attack on her official Senate profile on X , saying the U.S.’s “highly skilled and brave service members are in my prayers as they perform this mission.” “Sustained combat operations require full engagement with Congress,” she added. “There are important questions that will be discussed in the Senate’s classified briefings with Administration officials next week.” The Texas primary is scheduled for March 3, with Maine’s primary set for June 9. Add as preferred source on Google Tags Ali Khamenei Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Donald Trump Janet Mills Jasmine Crockett John Cornyn John Fetterman Ken Paxton Mike Johnson Susan Collins Wesley Hunt Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be