Box-Office Upheaval: Trump's Candidates Suffer Stunning Defeats Ending Electoral Dominance

American voters delivered a harsh slap to President Donald Trump's bets in the congressional midterm elections. After urging them to imagine his name on the ballot and imposing his favorite candidates in the most important Senate battles, the results rejected his choices and toppled his endorsed candidates in South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, and Michigan.

According to Reuters, these successive defeats did not merely hand control of the Senate to the Democrats; they also revealed the limits of Trump's political power and his declining ability to dictate outcomes at the polls.

Betting on Loyalty Over Electoral Competence
Trump spent more than 10 years reshaping the Republican Party to revolve around his "Make America Great Again" movement, imposing his choices in primary elections and ousting conservative figures he deemed insufficiently loyal or misaligned with his vision.

Trump repeatedly favored loyalists who adopted his political stance over Republicans with stronger state-level support networks who had proven their ability to win elections, betting that his endorsement could overcome their political weaknesses. Yesterday's Tuesday results revealed that he failed to convince voters to support his choices.

Collapse of Historical Republican Strongholds
One of the most surprising rejections occurred in South Carolina, which has not elected a Democratic senator since 1998 and where Trump won by an 18-point margin in 2024. Trump backed Darlene Graham, sister of the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. However, Democrat Annie Andrews won the seat in a stunning upset.

In North Carolina, Trump endorsed Michael Whatley, a former official in the Republican campaign, who suffered a crushing defeat against former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

In Texas, Trump intervened in a contentious Republican primary to support Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is plagued by scandals, over Senator John Cornyn, one of Trump's allies whom some in the party considered a safer choice.

Democrat James Tallarico secured an easy victory last night, granting Democrats a seat the party had not won since 1988. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated former House member Mike Rogers, the candidate chosen by Trump. El-Sayed will be the first Muslim to hold a Senate seat.

Declining Popularity and the Bill for Tariffs and War
Royter/Ipsos polls revealed that these defeats came as Trump's popularity declined before yesterday's election compared to levels following the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

This fueled fears among Republicans that the president had become a burden on the party he reshaped around himself. Veteran Republican strategist Doug Hey said, "This is Trump's earthquake," pointing to voter dissatisfaction with rising prices due to tariffs and the war on Iran. He added, "Trump spent the year talking to voters about what matters to him, not what matters to them."

Tone of Defiance and Late Mobilization at the White House
Trump spoke with a tone of defiance as election results emerged. Trump wrote in a social media post last night, "I was not a candidate in the election, but if I were, we would have won by a landslide."

One White House official, who requested anonymity, stated that Trump "promoted many candidates on the ballot better than the candidates themselves did."

A senior White House official told Reuters, also requesting anonymity, that the administration had polling data from six weeks ago showing Republicans would lose both the House and Senate, prompting Trump to launch a month-long national campaign to save the Republicans.

Seats Gifted to Opponents and Internal Divisions
Some independent analysts believe the Senate losses bear Trump's fingerprints directly. Thomas Kan, a professor at American University, said the president's intervention in the Texas Republican primary cost his party a guaranteed seat, noting that nominating Senator John Cornyn "would have ensured a certain victory for the Republicans."

Kan noted that the situation in North Carolina was equally clear. Current Republican Senator Tom Tillis stated last year he would not seek reelection after a public clash with Trump, who threatened to support a primary opponent after Tillis opposed Medicaid cuts included in the tax and spending bill proposed by the president.

Kan added, "He effectively gifted that seat to the Democrats... Roy Cooper would not have run for office if Tom Tillis had sought reelection."

Pat McCrory, former Republican Governor of North Carolina, said Trump's interventions in party primaries led to divisions among Republicans in state after state.

McCrory directed his harshest criticism at Trump's relationship with the voters who formed his base. He added, "I believe President Trump's greatest strength was his ability to connect with working-class individuals... He has lost this skill. It would be best for him to regain it for the sake of the country."