Conservatives were left reeling Tuesday as the 2026 midterm results reshaped the political landscape. Democrats made major gains in both red and blue states, retaking the House and Senate and flipping several governor’s offices. They also won in states Donald Trump carried in 2024, including Texas, South Carolina and Kansas.
The scale of the losses caught conservative commentators off guard. Washington Examiner columnist Guy Benson called it a catastrophic night for Republicans.
Radio host Buck Sexton said the party had taken a deserved beating, pointing to mistakes, weak messaging, poor candidates, high prices and an unpopular war. He added that Republicans would have to take stock and move forward. Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz, meanwhile, said many of the party’s candidates had been uninspiring and ineffective communicators.
Commentator Mary Katharine Ham also faulted Trump for backing candidates who went on to lose.
Some conservatives blamed Trump, the war with Iran and rising gas prices for the party’s losses. Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh argued that the war, household costs and the administration’s departure from its “America First” message had hurt Republicans. Federalist co-founder Sean Davis compared the result to the party’s major defeat in 2006, which followed an unpopular and poorly planned Middle East war.
Radio host Erick Erickson said the problems ran deeper than the conflict and fuel costs. He pointed to concerns about corruption, incompetence, tariffs, Russia policy, aggressive deportations and the treatment of Hispanic Americans, among other issues. He also mentioned the administration’s lavish projects and political threats.
Hosts of the “Ruthless” podcast discussed the results on television, joking that the evening was pushing them toward hard liquor. Josh Holmes described the outcome as a voter backlash rather than a response to policy. Co-host Comfortably Smug agreed, saying voters were angry and wanted to make that clear.
Co-host Michael Duncan said there was a disconnect: voters may have rejected Democratic policies during Joe Biden’s presidency, but Republicans had failed to make their own message resonate. He argued that people tended to vote based on present conditions, not warnings about what might happen later. In his view, Democratic candidates across the political spectrum benefited from the same wave.
As results came in, Trump congratulated Democrats and said he was prepared to work with the party in control of Congress, while also making clear he would use his veto power when necessary.
Trump said he believed the public supported the war with Iran but was unwilling to accept the short-term burden of higher gas prices. He also said he did not view the results as a personal defeat because his name was not on the ballot.
He praised the Democrats’ campaign, saying they had worked hard and had been fighting for a long time.
