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The GOP’s Defeat Was Truly Massive
KarlRove.com ^ | 11.5.2026 | Karl Rove

Posted on 11/06/2026 3:55:19 PM PST by libh8er

Both parties agreed on this tumultuous midterm election’s essential point. President Trump wanted voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot.” With his approval at 38%, Democrats happily agreed.

The results were catastrophic for Republicans. They lost almost everywhere, including places where defeat was once unimaginable.

Republicans dropped from 53 in the Senate to no more than 46, with losses in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas as well as Georgia, North Carolina and Maine.

In the House, Democrats are expected to have around 258 seats, a pickup of at least 43. Many Republicans in supposedly safe districts narrowly escaped defeat.

Democrats gained at least five governorships, giving them a majority for the first time in 16 years. The entire statewide GOP ticket in Texas lost. Democrats also picked up at least 500 state legislative seats, and flipped at least 11 chambers, including the state Houses in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. They will take full control of the legislatures and governorships of Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and possibly Arizona.

This midterm will be remembered decades from now. Republican losses were massive and consequential. What explains the scope of the GOP defeat?

The national environment was toxic. In the NBC News exit poll, nearly half of voters said the cost of living was a “crucial” consideration in their vote. Another 40% said it was a “major” factor. Nearly two-thirds said Mr. Trump’s policies made the economy worse while 62% said they raised prices.

With numbers like that, Republicans were going to have a tough night. But the president made things much worse. Nearly 2 of 3 voters said he had the wrong priorities. Sixty-two percent said he put his personal interests above the country’s while 90% said government corruption was a “crucial” or “major” factor in their vote.

Mr. Trump’s frequent rallies made him the center of attention. He dominated coverage with wild accusations, sloppy insults, and over-the-top bragging. He weirdly focused on the physiques of male candidates. No discipline, no forward-looking message, no substantive line of attack. Just whatever came to his mind as he rhetorically meandered for more than an hour at each rally. He called it “the weave.” It was really a mess.

Mr. Trump also repeated President Joe Biden’s mistake of telling voters not to believe their own experience. They were witnessing, he claimed, “the most successful economy” in “a Golden Age of America.” This angered—even enraged—voters concerned their paychecks were growing slower than prices.

The president thought promising every adult $5,000 if they voted Republican would swing the election. It backfired. Most Americans took it as a thinly veiled bribe he knew he couldn’t deliver.

Republican losses would have been smaller if Mr. Trump spent more time being president and less as campaigner-in-chief. Disciplined messaging focused on economic concerns might have improved his standing and lifted more GOP hopefuls.

Cont'd in WSJ https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-gops-defeat-was-truly-massive-7dc3bd88


TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: 2026wipeout; elections; gop; karlrove; stayoutdabushes
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1 posted on 11/06/2026 3:55:19 PM PST by libh8er
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To: libh8er

https://elias.law/bio/marc-elias/


2 posted on 11/06/2026 3:56:44 PM PST by blackdog (The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.)
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To: libh8er
The Deep State is DESPERATELY trying to convince us this election WASN'T STOLEN. I know better.

FU KARL ROVE.

3 posted on 11/06/2026 4:00:46 PM PST by CivilWarBrewing (Get off my back for my usage of CAPS, especially you snowflake males! MAN UP!)
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To: libh8er

Really? Dang...whooda guessed?


4 posted on 11/06/2026 4:02:35 PM PST by know.your.why (Matt 6:5)
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To: libh8er
The president thought promising every adult $5,000 if they voted Republican would swing the election. It backfired. Most Americans took it as a thinly veiled bribe he knew he couldn’t deliver.

Many Americans are still patiently waiting for their $5000 DOGE dividend checks and $2000 tariff rebate checks.

5 posted on 11/06/2026 4:03:27 PM PST by Drew68
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To: libh8er

We can do without your gnome-dancing and chortling, Karl.


6 posted on 11/06/2026 4:05:09 PM PST by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: CivilWarBrewing
The Deep State is DESPERATELY trying to convince us this election WASN'T STOLEN. I know better.

This election was not stolen.

People who think Tuesday’s blue tsunami was the result of election theft are out of touch and simply can’t accept that we’re not the 91% white country that we were 50 years ago.

Tuesday was the endgame result of Hart-Celler and the deliberate importation of 100 million Third World brownoids into our nation, rubber stamping their naturalization papers, conferring NBC status to their litters of children, and insisting they exercise their right to vote themselves the largesse of our treasury.

And they did just that. No fraud required.

7 posted on 11/06/2026 4:06:32 PM PST by Drew68
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To: libh8er

I suppose he’s celebrating.


8 posted on 11/06/2026 4:08:04 PM PST by Aria (Voted for Trump 2016, 2020 & 10/22/2024 )
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To: CivilWarBrewing
...this election WASN'T STOLEN. I know better.

Are you high?
9 posted on 11/06/2026 4:08:17 PM PST by know.your.why (Matt 6:5)
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To: libh8er

Karl Rove knows exactly what happened as do all of the establishment shills. Massive election fraud.


10 posted on 11/06/2026 4:08:31 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: libh8er

I have no doubt the shaved rat and his ilk gleefully voted for the democrats.


11 posted on 11/06/2026 4:09:59 PM PST by RightOnTheBorder
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To: libh8er
They lost almost everywhere, including places where defeat was once unimaginable.

Yeah, amazing what 20+ MORE illegal alien voters and a sh*t-ton of vote fraud can do, eh Karl? Worthless, bloated gas bag.

12 posted on 11/06/2026 4:11:46 PM PST by Sicon ("All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - G. Orwell)
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To: Drew68

You’re not supposed to mention the obvious. You should blame Trump’s naval blockade of Iran (though admittedly that was an issue with a lot of voters)
Republicans will never win because they refuse to talk about ethnic genocide of White Americans
They can talk about the racist origins of Abortions to control black Americans
but never bring up importing the 3rd world to destroy White America.


13 posted on 11/06/2026 4:11:56 PM PST by escapefromboston (Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.)
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To: Drew68

Wow! Are you out of touch.

You probably think Biden got 81 million “votes” in 2020.


14 posted on 11/06/2026 4:15:34 PM PST by Empire_of_Liberty
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To: libh8er

So Karl, how are all your genius immigration policies helping our country. Hope a cartel doesn’t kidnap you at your house in TX not that the border will be wide open.


15 posted on 11/06/2026 4:15:45 PM PST by vivenne (7Come to think of it. Fact.)
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To: Empire_of_Liberty

He’s a Trump hater here to sow dissent.


16 posted on 11/06/2026 4:16:45 PM PST by vivenne (7Come to think of it. Fact.)
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To: vivenne

Thank you. I knew that, but I figured his stupid argument deserved refutation.


17 posted on 11/06/2026 4:18:22 PM PST by Empire_of_Liberty
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To: libh8er

FU ROVE!


18 posted on 11/06/2026 4:19:15 PM PST by MileHi ((Liberalism is an ideology of parasites, hypocrites, grievance mongers, victims, and control freaks.)
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To: libh8er

Just shut up, Karl!


19 posted on 11/06/2026 4:21:26 PM PST by Flaming Conservative ((Pray without ceasing))
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To: libh8er

20 posted on 11/06/2026 4:23:11 PM PST by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
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