As the political right wing in America continues to relish our electoral victory last month, we must not lose sight of one of the primary lessons those results are teaching us. Donald J. Trump delivered a massive electoral and popular vote victory, toppling his own 2020 record of votes received. Thanks to these long coattails, Republican Senate candidates delivered several key so-called “flips,” giving the next Trump administration a Republican Majority in the United States Senate. To be sure, this is good news and will give the new Trump Administration a leg up in confirming political appointments and judicial nominations.
But as we look deeper into the data, a fundamental problem reveals itself. In Nevada and Arizona, Trump’s victory tallied in the tens of thousands of votes, while both GOP senate candidates lost by similar numbers. While it’s certainly not uncalled for to ask about late-night ballot drops and funny business from the left in the counting of votes, the story that Nevada and Arizona both tell us can be repeated in other races for Senate and House. The Republican Party is just not as popular as Trump. November’s election results show not a red wave but a Trump wave. Donald Trump is a hugely popular political figure, and the parties are not.
The Republican Party has just a year and a half to do some soul-searching and address the disparity of split-ticket voters. The 2026 midterm elections will be here sooner than we think, and there is no Trump name on the ballot to drag Republican Congressional candidates across the finish line. Our new congress must deliver fast, decisive victories for the Trump agenda. Likewise, state legislatures must prioritize state laws that secure elections and voter rolls. The only coattails conservatives will have in the next several election cycles is a record of wins — so they better get to work.
