Republicans hoping to succeed Trump in 2028 dissect midterm rout
Republican hopefuls for the 2028 presidential race have identified Donald Trump's Iran war and tariffs as key factors behind their party's midterm election defeat.
The stunning success of Democrats in Tuesday's midterm elections has left Republicans scrambling to explain their collapse in support. Vice-president JD Vance, outgoing Florida governor Ron DeSantis, and Texas senator Ted Cruz all pointed to frustration over the cost of living amid Republican defeats, including in previous strongholds like Texas and Kansas.
They cited factors including Trump's prolonged war on Iran and aggressive trade agenda; the US-Israel relationship; and Democratic ads that painted conservative candidates poorly. The Associated Press called more competitive House races for Democrats on Thursday, though Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi remained undecided.
Economic concerns
Republican hopefuls specifically blamed two key pillars of Trump's agenda for the electoral backlash. "Tariffs have made everything too expensive and the Iran war has dragged on too long," Cruz said on his podcast, Verdict With Ted Cruz. "It should have been brief, decisive and over. It needs to end."
Internal recriminations
DeSantis, who unsuccessfully challenged Trump for the Republican nomination two years ago, declared this week's elections to be "close to an extinction-level event" for their party. He blamed Democrats for making Republicans look bad with ads targeting them over the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and congressional stock trading.
DeSantis criticized Republican politicians for ignoring warning signs. "Too many Republican politicians seem like they didn't understand, and they didn't care," Cruz said. "Food is too high. Gas is too high. Diesel is too high. Insurance is too high. Life is too high."
Trump's response
Despite the losses, Trump remained confident voters would stay loyal to him, encouraging them to vote as though he were on the ballot. Though he said he would accept the results, he quickly deflected, claiming Republicans would have won if his name had actually been on the ballot.
On Thursday, Trump demanded that any votes for Dan J Sullivan, an alternative Republican Senate candidate in Alaska, should go to the incumbent Dan Sullivan, whom he endorsed. Even Trump admitted that his war with Iran had pushed potential Republican voters away, acknowledging "It's largely true because it drove gasoline up a little bit."
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