Archives for 2026

“Brutal red-state losses are raising alarm among Republicans about the 2028 presidential battlefield,” Politico reports.

“Democrats’ midterm blowout is upending the political calculus for future presidential campaigns… Republicans are stressing the ramifications of a major tranche of once-reliably Republican Electoral College votes being in jeopardy, while Democrats are weighing how much surprise wins on red turf should reshape their electoral strategy.”

Said former Trump 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien: “Last night undoubtedly made the mechanics of winning in 2028 harder for Republicans.”

The newly-designed interactive Electoral Vote Map is updated with many more states in play than the last three presidential elections.

“Mississippi Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom has flipped Forrest County, a once reliably Republican County named for Ku Klux Klan founder Nathan Bedford Forrest,” the Mississippi Free Press reports.

“Democrats have a surprising group of voters to thank, in part, for their sweeping victories in the midterm elections Tuesday,” the Washington Post reports.

“Rural counties across the country swung more than 15 percentage points toward Democrats this year compared with 2024. While rural communities remained more Republican than Democratic, their support waned significantly, hurting GOP candidates who relied on the typically deep-red voting bloc.”

“From Maine to Texas, weakened Republican support in rural areas contributed to flipped Senate seats and governor’s offices. House districts with significant rural populations in Wisconsin, Kentucky, Iowa and elsewhere swapped their Republican lawmakers for Democratic ones.”

“One of the big issues of disagreement that kept showing up when it came to the Jewish community was my position on Israel. I’m not going to change my position, but… I intend to lead on all the issues that we agree on — whether it’s the right to a union or the right to health care, clean air, clean water, or religious pluralism, and respect for the Constitution — and I hope that over time I can earn their support on those issues.”

— Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI), quoted by Politico.

“The race to win one of the most coveted 2028 endorsements is already underway, and it’s taking place on Jim Clyburn’s phone,” Politico reports.

“The South Carolina Democratic powerbroker, whose state goes first on the presidential primary calendar, said in an exclusive interview with Playbook for ‘The Conversation’ that he fielded four phone calls the day after the election.”

“Among them were Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and though Clyburn didn’t specify them all, he said he’s recently been in touch with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and noted spending time on the campaign trail with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock.”

“And Clyburn, whose endorsement helped rescue Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in 2020, is already laying out what it will take to win him over.”

Dan Pfeiffer: “Sometimes, politics can be incredibly simple. Voters cared most about affordability, Democrats focused like a laser on affordability, and they convinced people they would do better on the issue.”

“Tavern Research conducted an election-day poll of 3,000 voters: 96% said the cost of living mattered in their vote, and 82% said it was very important.”

“The biggest loser Tuesday night, heading into 2028, was JD Vance. 2028 shifted from a conversation about who could carry the torch of Trumpism, to who can rebuild the movement from shambles.”

— A Republican strategist, quoted by Semafor.