The Slatest

The Iran War Might Sink Republicans Next Week. But Once the Election Is Over, All Bets Are Off.

Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images and Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images.

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If Republicans get thumped in next week’s midterms, Donald Trump’s war in Iran will be a big reason why. Many voters see the 8-month-old, $47 billion–and–counting conflict as a glaring violation of the president’s campaign pledge not to start new wars—one that has sent gas prices spiraling higher to boot. Yet regardless of just how much the elections end up looking like a rejection of Trump’s military adventurism, there are mounting signs that the president plans to escalate the fighting shortly after polls close on Tuesday. Let’s read the tea leaves.

What are the signs?

They’re everywhere. As the Wall Street Journal reported this week, U.S.…