Trump Backed Republicans Lose Key Senate Races in Midterms

Republicans suffered major electoral setbacks in Tuesday's 2026 US midterm elections, with several Senate candidates backed by President Donald Trump losing decisive races. The defeats reflected growing voter dissatisfaction with inflation, rising living expenses and administration policies, including tariffs, immigration restrictions and the war with Iran.

According to The New York Times, prominent Trump-backed candidates Darline Graham in South Carolina, Michael Whatley in North Carolina and Ken Paxton in Texas lost by margins that even optimistic Democrats had not anticipated. Their defeats weakened Trump's influence over Republican electoral politics after a primary season in which his endorsements had frequently determined which candidates advanced.

Republican strategist Justin Evans of South Carolina described the political risks facing candidates who challenged the president during the primaries.

"If you pushed back" on Mr. Trump, said Justin Evans, a Republican strategist in South Carolina, "you'd get your head chopped off."

However, Evans said the election results demonstrated that distancing candidates from Trump could be politically advantageous. He connected the Republican losses to voter dissatisfaction with the president's approach to controlling the party.

"The people who did the best last night were the people who distanced themselves from the president," Evans said, calling the results "a universal repudiation of the bullying that's been taking place during this primary" by Trump.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a former rival of Trump in the Republican presidential nomination contest, also described the scale of the party's losses as extraordinary.

"Close to an extinction-level event for Republicans" was how DeSantis characterized the political setback, according to The New York Times.

Economic dissatisfaction emerged as another major factor behind the Republican losses, according to CNN. Although unemployment remained low and consumer spending proved relatively resilient, many Americans continued struggling with elevated prices that had accumulated since 2021.

The US economy had shown several positive indicators earlier in 2026. January recorded its strongest monthly job gains since 2024, manufacturing employment turned positive for the first time in 14 months, and mortgage rates fell below 6% for the first time in three years.

However, the war with Iran significantly changed the economic outlook. Oil prices climbed to four-year highs, diesel prices reached records, and gasoline became more expensive than ever on an Election Day, according to CNN.

Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, highlighted the conflict's influence on the election.

"If it weren't for the war in Iran, this would be a very different midterm election," Long said.

Brown University researchers estimated that higher gasoline and diesel prices had added $1,150 to the average US household's expenses since the beginning of the war. Rising energy costs also contributed to higher borrowing costs and mortgage rates.

Other financial pressures included higher health insurance premiums, electricity bills and vehicle repair expenses. CNN reported that average monthly Affordable Care Act premiums increased 58% this year after Republicans failed to extend enhanced subsidies in 2025.

Electricity costs increased 8.7% during Trump's second term, while auto repair costs rose 12.3% and homebuilders' costs increased 13.3%. The Tax Foundation estimated that Trump's tariffs added $820 in taxes for the average American household in 2026.

Steven Durlauf, an economist at the University of Chicago who researches wealth inequality and mobility, argued that the administration could not avoid responsibility by pointing to economic conditions inherited from its predecessor.

"Let's say, for the sake of argument Biden totally screwed up: That in no way exonerates Trump," Durlauf said.

Durlauf also criticized the administration's handling of inflation and emphasized that voters could hold policymakers accountable for economic conditions.

"Inflation has been badly managed by Trump. Voters have to place responsibility with the administration's policies," Durlauf said.

According to an October CNN poll, Trump's net approval rating on the economy stood at minus 46 points, substantially below former President Joe Biden's minus 31 points in CNN's final economic approval poll before he withdrew from the 2024 presidential race.