Republicans furious, blaming results on Trump and GOP incompetency
4 Min Read
Despite Americans' dissatisfaction with the current leadership, the Democrats still got even, and Republicans are furious.
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Former US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
As Democrats are gloating at the unexpected results, Republicans are pointing their fingers at former President Donald Trump for the party's failure to win House and Senate majorities.
Though the battle was won narrowly, Democrats still have a decent chance of keeping the Senate majority, which may be decided on December 6, when there's a runoff in Georgia.
The blame on the Republican party was widespread on Wednesday night, with some supporters blaming some of the "less experienced" candidates for making amateur mistakes, while others called for an audit - though in private - for how the National Republican Senatorial Committee raised and spent money on the election, under chairman senator Rick Scott.
Strategics argue that the imprint that Trump left on the House and Senate races did more harm than good, raising questions about his viability as a presidential candidate for the 2024 race.
“How could you look at these results tonight and conclude Trump has any chance of winning a national election in 2024?” tweeted Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist who has advised Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) past campaigns. He also slammed Trump for being "never weaker than he is today."
Trump has never been weaker than he is today, certainly at least as weak as he was on Jan 6. Difference now? There’s someone new and more competent to fill the void after a shocking rebuke by the American people.
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) November 9, 2022
“Despite the fact that 70 percent of the country thinks we’re on the wrong track, two-thirds think we’re in a recession, people are pessimistic about the future, and people largely believe Biden’s policies are hurting, not helping, they still opted to stick with that over the alternative, which I’m afraid they associate with Trump,” he said.
In an interview that aired Wednesday, Trump told NewsNation that he shouldn't get any blame if Republican candidates failed to win: “Well, I think if they win, I should get all the credit,” he said. “And if they lose, I should not be blamed at all. But it will probably be just the opposite.”
GOP strategics say are saying that their candidates should have done a much better job given that the exit polls exhibited that 73% of voters were angry with the economic situation in the US.
“Republicans should have run away with this election. With inflation at a 40-year high, with crime out of control in many cities, with the border not secure and with Joe Biden’s job approval in the low 40s, this election should have been a cakewalk for Republicans,” said Whit Ayres, a GOP pollster, who blamed the US Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade, which was a key issue for many voters.
The other factor was the proliferation of weak Republican Senate candidates that Donald Trump dragged through Republican primaries. Continually those Senate Republican candidates struggled as is often the case with inexperienced candidates running high-profile, high-pressure races,” he added.
Trump midterm elections remarks: Who has ever done better than that?
The midterm elections this year were a little disappointing, according to former US President Donald Trump, who spoke on Wednesday, saying it was still a huge victory for Republicans.
"While in certain ways yesterday’s election was somewhat disappointing, from my personal standpoint it was a very big victory - 219 WINS and 16 Losses in the General - Who has ever done better than that?" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Although it is predicted that Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives, the Senate remains competitive, with three seats up for grabs as both Republicans and Democrats retain 48 seats in the upper house.
