Nov 4, 2026 · 1h 41m
Republicans confront a sweeping midterm collapse
Why Voters Delivered the Blue Tsunami, the Shocking Dem Margins, and the WORST New Senators, with RealClearPolitics | Ep. 1434
The discussion tests whether Republicans can respond to voter anger over war, costs, corruption, immigration, and candidate quality before 2028.
- 1Voters punished Republicans for foreign-policy failures, economic pressures, perceived corruption, and priorities seen as detached from ordinary Americans.
- 2The panel treats Ron DeSantis’s response as an early test of whether he can offer a cleaner alternative to Donald Trump.
- 3Democratic victories bring their own risks, as new figures may mistake electoral momentum for a mandate for ideological rhetoric.
Don't miss
The panel contrasts Scott Colom’s direct engagement with voters against Abdul El-Sayed’s combative victory speech and its lack of policy detail.
The brief
Megyn Kelly and RealClearPolitics analysts describe a Democratic wave that swept through traditionally Republican territory, forcing the GOP to confront losses broader than a single candidate or state.
The panel links the defeat to the Iran war, high costs, corruption concerns, immigration-policy failures, and Donald Trump’s priorities and candidate choices.
Tom Bevan frames the result as a cross-party populist revolt over healthcare, education, food, gas, and other necessities, while Carl Cannon stresses the breadth of the collapse.
Ron DeSantis’s description of the results as an extinction-level event becomes an early test of whether he can emerge as a competent, cleaner alternative to Trump.
The discussion turns to Democratic winners, praising Scott Colom’s retail politics while criticizing Abdul El-Sayed and others for speeches heavy on identity and light on governing detail.
What was said on this episode
62 statements · 9 positive · 45 negative · 2 mixed · 6 neutral
The Republican Party is currently in ruins after a Democratic wave.
“It was a blue tsunami after all. And this morning, the Republican Party is in ruins.”
Listen at 0:17
Trump’s domestic agenda is effectively over after the election.
“Domestically, his agenda is now over.”
Listen at 2:14
Trump’s presidency and policies have not helped hurting Americans.
“the truth is that the American people are hurting, have remained hurting and were not helped by this president or his policies.”
Listen at 3:20
Trump’s tariffs appear to have harmed border-state and agricultural communities.
“those tariffs are not on the list of things that help them to the contrary. They appear to have really hurt people in border states like Michigan and in states that depend on agriculture like Iowa.”
Listen at 3:37
Donald Trump will never again appear on an election ballot.
“Trump will never be on the ballot again, never on the ballot again.”
Listen at 5:04
MAGA cannot win elections without Trump on the ballot.
“without him on the ballot, MAGA can't win.”
Listen at 5:19
Republicans should adopt an explicitly anti-war, anti-Middle East-war position.
“we really mean it is anti-war and anti-Mideast wars in particular.”
Listen at 6:08
Working-class Americans need concrete economic assistance.
“They need actual help.”
Listen at 8:47
Trump launched an unnecessary Iran war despite promising not to start one.
“Trump launched an unnecessary war in Iran, in the Middle East, the very thing he promised us that he would not do.”
Listen at 10:22
Abandoned Trump voters prioritized ending the war, affordability, and changing Israel policy.
“The top four answers accounting for nearly all of the responses were, one, end the war. Two, focus on the cost of living and inflation. First, four, change our relationship to Israel.”
Listen at 12:08
The Iran war caused Republicans’ election loss.
“The reason we lost is the war.”
Listen at 13:05
The election functioned as a referendum on Trump and his policies.
“This was a referendum on him and his policies.”
Listen at 18:00
Seventy-four percent said the Iran war was a major or critical voting factor.
“The Iran war was huge. Seventy four percent of the people said it was a major or the critical factor in their vote.”
Listen at 19:01
Republicans should adopt radical honesty going forward.
“What we need now is honesty, radical honesty, radical.”
Listen at 20:20
Republicans face a more difficult Senate map in 2028.
“It doesn't get easier for the Republicans in 28.”
Listen at 24:37
Democrats may not need to abolish the Senate filibuster immediately.
“The Democrats may not need to abolish The filibuster right now”
Listen at 24:52
“They may very well pick up another four seats and have a filibuster proof 60 vote majority in the U.S. Senate.”
Listen at 25:19
The Iran war failed to achieve its intended result.
“I think the big problem with the Iran war is that it didn't work.”
Listen at 28:31
The Iran war demonstrated Trump’s foreign-policy incompetence.
“I think the Iran war. The incompetence is what I'm talking about now.”
Listen at 29:50
Eighty-nine percent considered cost of living a crucial or major voting factor.
“Thinking about your vote for Congress, how important to you was the cost of living? Crucial or a major factor? 89%.”
Listen at 31:47
Seventy-four percent rated the Iran war a crucial or major voting factor.
“The war in Iran? 74%. It was the number two issue.”
Listen at 32:00
Voters face sharply higher costs for healthcare, education, gas, and food.
“Stuff has gotten too expensive, whether it's healthcare, education, gas, food, whatever, people are paying way more.”
Listen at 33:27
Republicans lost support across every demographic group.
“they lost every single demographic. Doesn't matter which one you looked at. They swung to the Democrats.”
Listen at 33:58
Voters rated Democrats better able to handle the economy, foreign policy, and healthcare.
“Which party do you say is better able to handle? The economy, Democrats plus seven. Foreign policy, Democrats plus seven. Healthcare, Democrats plus 20.”
Listen at 34:39
Voters rejected Trump’s claims about economic strength because they conflicted with lived experience.
“people had already tuned him out they don't believe what he was saying to them because it wasn't reflective of what they were living on the day-to-day basis”
Listen at 35:28
Corruption significantly harmed Republicans in the election.
“I think the corruption issue hurt them a lot more than they... than Vance would allow at this point.”
Listen at 36:50
Trump’s Iran bombing demoralized Republicans by violating a core campaign promise.
“the die was cast the minute he started bombing Iran, right? Because he demoralized the Republican base because that was one of his core promises.”
Listen at 38:58
Bombing Iran caused gasoline prices to rise sharply.
“gas prices shot up.”
Listen at 39:16
Trump’s Iran bombing was followed by gasoline prices exceeding four dollars per gallon.
“four days later, he bombs Iran and then gas is like four dollars over four dollars a gallon all the way through the election.”
Listen at 39:26
Republicans face a difficult two years before the 2028 election.
“Republicans are going to look at 2028 and you know try and figure out how to get the next two years is going to be a mess for republicans”
Listen at 40:36
Republicans will lose in 2028 unless they resolve their internal problems.
“Democrats, it's going to be a rough couple of years for Republicans. They got to get it sorted out or they're going to lose in 2028.”
Listen at 41:14
Republicans will lose in 2028 if they fail to resolve internal problems.
“they got to get it sorted out or they're going to lose in 2028.”
Listen at 41:16
DeSantis’s claim that Trump left the party in disarray is true.
“I think it's true.”
Listen at 43:11
Congressional stock trading should be banned or more strongly restricted.
“How are we not banning the congressional stock trading?”
Listen at 44:48
A neoconservative cannot win the Republican presidential nomination now.
“You cannot win the Republican nomination as a neocon now.”
Listen at 46:31
Ron DeSantis will moderate his political positions.
“I think Ron DeSantis will moderate.”
Listen at 47:03
Current political conditions make future predictions unusually difficult.
“I'm not sure. It's a hard time to make predictions about the future.”
Listen at 48:03
The public views Trump-era politics as insider self-enrichment and wants it stopped.
“the public believes that politics in the Trump era has become an insider's game where people are making obscene amounts of money and they want it stopped.”
Listen at 49:42
Republicans could regain momentum and potentially win the White House in two years.
“you could very well see a swing back in the Republicans' direction in two years along with potentially even a Republican winning the White House.”
Listen at 57:50
Obama enacted Obamacare without majority public support.
“he shoved an entitlement down the throats of the American people without majority support for it.”
Listen at 58:24
Democrats may target Pete Hegseth in an initial impeachment effort.
“They might do a sort of a warm up to the presidential impeachment by getting Pete Hegseth in there and trying to impeach him.”
Listen at 59:58
Democrats will try to nationalize Elon Musk’s companies.
“they're going to try and nationalize his companies.”
Listen at 1:00:16
Voters rejected AI data centers in 29 of 30 reported local ballot results.
“in 29 out of the 30, the answer was, no, I do not want an AI data center in my town.”
Listen at 1:01:22
Democrats will hold hearings on whether the administration sold pardons.
“they're going to do hearings on whether this administration was selling pardons.”
Listen at 1:02:37
Congress will likely first investigate alleged pardon selling.
“My guess is that's one of the first things they'll go after”
Listen at 1:02:53
Megyn Kelly believes Alina Habba’s compensation was an improper payoff.
“It was obviously a payoff. That's my opinion.”
Listen at 1:05:05
Republicans held an advantage on immigration policy, but Kristi Noem’s execution hurt them.
“policy wise republicans were winning on immigration it was the execution under christy noem”
Listen at 1:07:01
The administration’s ICE messaging turned public opinion against it.
“it was just ridiculous. And turn public opinion against the administration on an issue that they had broad public support for.”
Listen at 1:07:24
Kristi Noem’s immigration enforcement turned public opinion against the administration.
“turn public opinion against the administration on an issue that they had broad public support for.”
Listen at 1:07:25
Voters expected Trump to deport criminals and recent arrivals before long-settled immigrants.
“People began to think even who Trump had said when he was asked, who are you going to deport? Everybody. But people really thought he would go after for two classes first.”
Listen at 1:09:37
Trump is unlikely to change his political behavior.
“I don't think that Trump at this point can change at all.”
Listen at 1:14:33
Donald Trump is unlikely to change his political behavior.
“I don't think that Trump at this point can change at all.”
Listen at 1:14:33
A prolonged Iran conflict will increasingly harm Republicans and their 2028 prospects.
“Iran is the longer it stays unresolved, the more of a problem it's going to be for Republicans and for 2028.”
Listen at 1:15:16
Trump should end the Iran conflict as soon as possible.
“trump has to i think he has to try and wrap this up as as soon as possible”
Listen at 1:15:46
Trump’s ego prevents him from making strategically necessary political decisions.
“he's a prisoner of his own ego.”
Listen at 1:19:22
Trump’s endorsement of Darlene Graham divided Republicans and contributed to her defeat.
“he divided the Republican Party in an already shitty Republican environment for Republicans.”
Listen at 1:21:30
Scott Colom identified voters’ problems without offering concrete solutions.
“he was identifying with a lot of the problems, but he wasn't saying what he was going to do about them.”
Listen at 1:28:13
Abdul El-Sayed appears radical, with his future conduct uncertain.
“He does seem radical to me, and I'm not sure where that guy's going to go with it.”
Listen at 1:30:26
Josh Turek’s campaign effort demonstrated admirable public-service commitment.
“I thought, all right, that's the kind of commitment in a public servant I have to respect.”
Listen at 1:31:33
Tallarico may or may not govern toward the political center in Texas.
“I wonder about Tallarico in Texas, whether he will track to the center at all”
Listen at 1:34:59
Tallarico may overinterpret his Texas victory margin as a governing mandate.
“will he over-interpret the mandate given his margin of victory down there? That will be interesting to see”
Listen at 1:35:17
Inspirational rhetoric without policy detail will not improve people’s lives.
“Love is not going to write a bill that's going to help.”
Listen at 1:38:47
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
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