Hello Texas. Let’s discuss the meaning of purple. 
A Generational Moment
The Wall Street Journal reports A Generational Win for Democrats Sends the GOP Reeling
Paul Gigot: Well, that was something. Democrats win one of the biggest midterm election victories in decades. They sweep Republicans out of the House and the Senate majority and make historic gains in state houses and state legislatures that will affect American policy and politics for years to come. What’s behind this epic Republican loss? What do Democrats do with their majority? And how does Donald Trump respond? This morning, that is our subject for today on Potomac Watch. I’m Paul Gigot and I’m here with Kim Strassel and Matt Continetti to wander through the rubble of the Republican majority and tell you what we think we can find to build for the future and where this goes from here. Let’s start with the magnitude of this defeat, Matt. It really is stunning. I was telling you before we went on air that you’re too young, both of you are too young to remember 1974, the Watergate year. I am not. And this has a lot of similarities. Not quite the same numbers, but give our listeners an indication of what’s so stunning.
Matthew Continetti: Sure. Well, this is definitely shaping up to be the best midterm for Democrats since 1974, since that election done in the context of the Watergate scandal, President Nixon’s resignation, President Ford’s controversial pardon. Richard Nixon brought a whole slew of liberal congressmen to Capitol Hill and really shifted American politics to the left. The Democrats are on track to win the national House vote, that is you just count up all the votes cast in House races by a significant margin, much more than 10 points. And that’s going to translate by some projections to anywhere between 258 seats is what one network is calling it. Some say maybe even a little bit higher, 260 for Democrats. That would be their largest majority since 2008. So in some ways, a generational win for the Democratic Party. And then there’s the Senate, of course. They’re up seven seats at the moment. There are, of course, races still counting ballots in Mississippi, yes I said Mississippi, and in Alaska, which I’m sure Kim will want to discuss. So that could bring them up to nine. That’s a considerable Democratic majority, a healthy one. And I think just briefly on that, important for where it’s drawing from, which is that Democratic Senate candidates really succeeded throughout the country, including in places not just where Donald Trump won by double digits three times, that’s Iowa, Texas, but also states no one really had on the map like, say, South Carolina or Kansas, which hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since the New Deal in the 1930s.
Paul Gigot: Republicans lost the Georgia Senate seat by, hold onto your hats, 18 percentage points in Georgia. You can’t do that unless you have not only tremendous enthusiasm from Democrats, but essentially Republicans who either changed and voted for the opposition or just stayed home. It’s remarkable. And the other thing I’d mention here is the down ballot into the state legislative races. There are literally hundreds of state legislative races that have turned in this election. And just to give you an indication of the turning of the majorities in these states, Democrats now have a majority in both houses in Wisconsin, both in Arizona, first time since I think 1966. They won the Texas House. They have the governorship too. So the last real bastion of Republican hold there is the state Senate. The Georgia House, they lost the Georgia House. They lost both houses in New Hampshire. I could go on. But the point to make here is that this was a seismic victory that went deep down ballot. And those legislative seats really matter because the states have been for the Republicans since, say, 2010, real places of reform. Cutting taxes, reforming the tax code, disciplining public unions, controlling their dominance in Wisconsin, for example, school choice. Those are gone as possibilities in these states and much of it will be reversed. We are going to take a break and when we come back, I’ll be back with Matt Continetti and Kim Strassel.
Matthew Continetti: 65% say that Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions and 62% said his policies are to blame for high prices. And of course, the economy was the most important issue, something that we’ve been tracking for years. It was the most important issue during the Biden midterm and in 2024 and remains the most important issue, inflation and prices being the most significant factor in that prioritization. And the voters, not only unaware of any good economic news or progress undergone by Trump, but not willing to accept it and blaming Trump for a worse economy.
Paul Gigot: Truly amazing. So just to kind of expand on this a little, Kim, is what happened to the Republican coalition. The Hispanic vote just turned from 2024, what had been a historic gain in Hispanic votes for Republicans and President Trump in 2024 really did reverse. And in majority Hispanic counties in the United States, that’s with the majority of Hispanic-identified voters, it was a 28-point turn from two years ago. 28 points.
The Political Order Has Changed
- Sen. Jon Ossoff (Georgia): At 39, Ossoff has emerged as a central figure and potential presidential contender following his reelection victory in Georgia. He is frequently compared to Barack Obama for his disciplined communication and appeal across party lines.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York): At 36, she remains one of the party’s most influential progressive leaders, high-profile national voices, and primary powerhouses.
- James Talarico (Texas): Age 37, recently elected to the U.S. Senate in Texas after defeating Ken Paxton, Talarico has gained national attention for framing progressive and faith-based arguments in traditionally red territory.
- Rep. Jasmine Crockett (Texas): Known for her strong social media presence, Crockett has built a large following among Gen Z and younger voters through direct, relatable communication.
- Rep. Maxwell Frost (Florida): As one of the first Gen Z members of Congress, Frost represents a newer wave of youth-driven legislative leadership.
- Senator-Elect Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan) is 42. He will change the debate on Israel and Palestine.
- Governor-Elect Rob Sand (Iowa) is 44.
You do not have to like their policies, and I am certainly not cheering Socialists.
But this smackdown is what you get when you run on no wars then start one, pledge to cut energy bills in half but double them, and brag about ballrooms and monuments to yourself.
19-Year-Old College Student Becomes Clerk of Maricopa County Arizona
The Meaning of Purple
Texas has just gone purple. Its population has changed to the point where a Republican can’t just rely on MAGA to win a general election.
Without Texas, Republicans will struggle to win any presidential election. So, Republicans will have to moderate MAGA or abandon it because they can’t win Texas with it.
Yet, MAGA still owns the Republican Party.
That’s why the quite conservative Cornyn was soundly defeated. MAGA fools cheered when it happened.
Flashback May 27, 2026 MishTalk: Trump Got What He Wanted in Texas Senate Primary, But So Did Democrats
Trump is gloating now over Ken Paxton. But he’s gloating over a loss.
I believe it’s safe to say that I called that correctly.
Trump Destroyed the Republican Party
Trump pledged no wars and started the stupidest war in history. Sycophants defended it. They praised the testosterone policies of Hegseth, the least qualified Secretary of Defense in history.
The cult cheered when Trump trashed allies like Canada. The cult even cheered Trump’s proposed taking of Greenland by force.
The cult cheered anything and everything Trump did.
Anyone who stepped out of line on any loyalty issue was primaried. Senator Cornyn was the poster child. And Lord did the cult cheer over that.
Scott Presler and DC Draino
Success! Paxton won the primary.
Please take a bow Scott Presler and DC Draino.
Trump Bragged “Cornyn Kissed My Ass”
A Meaningful, Well Deserved Cornyn Lecture
- Add, don’t subtract
- Be likeable
- Do what you promised
- Character & integrity still matter
Time to turn the page and rebuild
Mish Lecture
Historic Hispanic Trend Break
The MAGA Dilemma
Trump destroyed the party. First, he won over Hispanics and Zoomers with lies. Then lost them with asinine economic policies and even worse deportation tactics.
So, what are Republican candidates going to do?
You can’t win the nomination without MAGA and you can’t win the election with them.
Will Trump Double Down?
Texas is purple. If Trump doubles down on deportations Texas will go Blue.
Trump needs a radical change in deportation policy and tariff policy or he will hand Democrats a trifecta in the 2028 elections.
That’s the political reality MAGA faces.
I suspect party leaders are too stupid to realize it, but there will be no MAGA revival.
MAGA Will Not Recover from this Historic Defeat
For further discussion of the demographics and massive voter shifts, please see One Stunning Chart Shows Why MAGA Will Not Recover from this Historic Defeat
A dying movement that never should have existed in the first place, led by racists, name calling, and stupid wars is now on the deathbed, with no chance of revival.
Good riddance.
Related Posts
November 4, 2026: Congratulations to Trump for Turning Texas Blue. No Mere Mortal Could.
I Congratulate President Trump for Major Victories Tonight
November 4, 2026: Top 10 Reasons Republicans Lost the Midterms through Trump’s Eyes
I compiled this list as a spoof over the course of the last month. How’d I do?
November 7, 2026: What Impact Did Trump’s ICE Deportations Play in the Midterm Elections?
Vance admits the war, but downplays immigration. He’s wrong on the latter.
Wonder why USA no longer a melting pot where newcomers assimilate and learn the language of the country they reside in. English which is taught to all citizens in school that should give you an idea of just how bad illegal immigration is first on his platform & goals:
Platform & Goals: His campaign focused on expanding language access….
Mississippi, Kansas, and South Carolina surprised me, Texas did not. Texas has been turning purple for the last 15 years. Even Hillary Clinton narrowly lost Texas to Donald Trump in 2016.
I cannot explain how Trump garnered the support that he has over the last 10 years, but that goes to not understanding how voters set aside glaring character issues and look past overt corruption and endless gaslighting. But I also don’t understand “swing voters,” and that is my blind spot politically.
I give my loyalty to a political ideology that has resided within the Democratic Party since 1932. That ideology is liberal/progressive, an ideology that began with the Republican Party during the time of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. The United States, and for that matter, the world would not be recognizable to most people today if the liberal/progressive ideology, whether furthered by the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, had not prevailed in the end extinguishing slavery, discrimination, and segregation related to African Americans, women’s suffrage and enacting equal rights legislation, combating elder poverty with Social Security and Medicare, and legalizing same sex marriage.
In 1945, the world rid itself of possibly history’s most evil person and regime. The decision to enter WWII by FDR was not a popular decision and was met with significant opposition by many Republicans at the time and the original America First movement that was formed at the time to oppose entering the War in Europe.
For all of these reasons, I am loyal to the political party that champions liberal democracy ideals and liberal/progressive policies, and for the last 90 years that party has been the Democratic Party. So, this is why I do not understand swing voters.
In the last 7 weeks of 2016 some pundits observed that the Democrats need to ask why people voted for Donald Trump. That is still a good question. Meanwhile, it looks like Donald has pursued policies these past two years contrary to why people voted for him. And Democrats have learned very little in the past several elections. (No doubt Jasmine Crocket of Texas is saying “That could have been me!” – that she, as a female person of (black) color, deserved that Senate seat more than James Talarico.) The Democrats appeared set to resume going in directions that Americans have been unhappy with for the past12 years.
And in the meanwhile, to consider: The ostensible reason to go to war against Iran, and Iraq, was to prevent them from obtaining nuclear weapons and to prevent them from having a government that wants nuclear weapons. The American electorates rejection of those make-war policies asks the question of whether we should abandon the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and allow that any nation opposed to the USA can (and ought?) to obtain such weapons and point them at us.
And consider the double-standard that the people of the world’s nations have a right to rise up to overthrow any America-similar social system, but no right to rise up against any hostile-to-America system no matter how oppressive – and that the principal war worth fighting is the revolution to overthrow America’s capitalist imperialist system.
And consider that our immigration laws and system do not enjoy popular support, and neither does Biden & co.’s Open Door Welfare Support system.
You can count AOC out. She is on schedule to be the next Pelosi. And Crockett is a corporate donorCRAT. Just because they are younger than the Pelosis and the Schumers of the world, it doesn’t automatically make them different on a policy level.
Stephen Miller’s appointment shows Trump hasn’t learned his lesson on immigration
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/06/donald-trump-stephen-miller-immigration
Handing democrats a trifecta is a foregone conclusion at this point because as I’ve repeatedly pointed out….
Do worry, Trump, Walrus, GOP, and democrats will find a way to make things even worse.™
I wasn’t exactly sure how Trump would destroy the country and it’s still not clear, will it be a nuclear war / WWIII? will it be making things so bad Americans decide they’d rather go full socialist communist? Trump’s already set the framework for america going full socialist with a blue wave and he will find a way to make things worse: guaranteed.
And I hope now it is very clear why an exit strategy was the only viable solution. The worst is yet to come folks and the clock is ticking.
3-star Mishelin™ award issued on this post.
Don’t forget about Roe v Wade and the consistency the GOP demonstrated when protecting misogyny and racism. For the younger age groups, and some older, there’s not a single quality the GOP can point to that they would vote for. And when they do make a claim, like lower costs or smaller government, they have zero evidence of truth.
I don’t know what they expect to rebuild with. People aren’t exactly flocking to the Evangelicals or Replacement Theory
Evangelicals lost all credibility when they supported Trump, a known rapist, alleged pedophile, 3-time divorced adulterer, murderer (school girls in Iran to boot), and outright criminal. You can’t reconcile any of that with Christianity so they fact that they continue to support him means its not a religion/organization/movement anyone with a good soul would ever support.
Evangelicals got kicked in the nuts this last election cycle and they deserved it, you reap what you sow.
“Lowering costs” is a bullshit term that both the Republicans and the donorCRAT bastards use. In theory, it may mean anything that you want it to be, but in reality, it ends up being absolutely nothing.