Tuesday marked the first major election night since November 2024, and to put it frankly, it was a bloodbath for Republicans. This was a 2018-level obliteration in races across the country. The only saving grace was that off-year elections only offer so much meat on the bone for the winning party.
I don’t say that to be alarmist, but I also don’t want Republicans to lull themselves to sleep. These results were a troubling indication of real angst within the electorate, and with the 2026 midterms now under a year away, the clock is ticking for Republicans to turn things around. And while I want to discuss some fundamental issues that I believe are spoiling the environment for the GOP right now, the first step is understanding what happened.