Donald Trump has faced harsh criticism from Republicans who have blamed the controversial former president for their worse-than-expected midterm election performance.
The GOP kingmaker endorsed around 300 candidates, held 30 rallies and raised millions of dollars in hopes of demonstrating his ongoing MAGA influence, which could spark another bid for the White House.
But many of his favorite candidates have failed to win seats and control of Congress is still up for grabs, giving Joe Biden a big boost.
Erick Erickson, a longtime GOP commentator, told the Washington Post, “It’s the quality of the candidates that counts.
“They weren’t good candidates. They were more faithful to him than anything else. The GOP could still win both [chambers] but this is not the night they expected.’
Donald Trump addresses the media during an election night in Mar-a-Lago last night
dr Oz, who had been supported by Trump during the primary, lost to Democrat John Fetterman in the Pennsylvania Senate race
Bill Palatucci, a member of the Republican National Committee from New Jersey, said: “Trump candidates have been a drain on the party and the message of all our candidates.
“We’ve had to constantly distance ourselves from their support of the former president.”
Trump’s picks lost high-stakes contests in Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Hampshire.
After summoning reporters and his staunchest supporters to a guard party at his Mar-a-Lago club, he ended the night without a triumphant speech.
Nonetheless, he took to his social media platform to insist he had “a great evening”.
In the greatest shock of the evening, Dr. Oz, who was supported by Trump during the primary, in the Pennsylvania Senate race against Democrat John Fetterman.
Fetterman had faced eligibility questions just days before the state elementary school after suffering a stroke, but Dr. Oz defeated by TV in a big rebuke to Trump.
Maggie Hassan defeated Republican Don Bolduc, a retired Army general who had encouraged Trump’s lies about the 2020 election
Former NFL star Herschel Walker, who was heavily backed by Trump, is in a close race in Georgia and could face a runoff.
Democrats also held a crucial Senate seat in New Hampshire, where incumbent Maggie Hassan defeated Republican Don Bolduc, a retired Army general who spread Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.
Pro-Trump candidates JR Majewski in Ohio, Karoline Leavitt in New Hampshire and Yesli Vega in Virginia were also rejected by voters.
All was not murky for Trump as he helped lead Republican Senate nominees in Ohio and North Carolina to victory.
JD Vance, the best-selling author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” defeated 10-term Congressman Tim Ryan, while Rep. Ted Budd defeated Cheri Beasley, the former Supreme State Chief Justice.
But many Republicans who supported his failed effort to overturn the 2020 election lost key races to oversee elections in some competitive states.
Doug Mastriano, the GOP candidate for Pennsylvania governor, lost to Democrat Josh Shapiro on election night.
JD Vance, the best-selling author of Hillbilly Elegy, defeated 10-term Congressman Tim Ryan
Mastraiano was spotted outside the Capitol on the day of the Jan. 6 riot and regularly communicated with Trump as the then-president attempted to reverse his loss to Joe Biden.
The state governor appoints the secretary of state, who is the chief electoral officer.
In Minnesota, Republican Kim Crockett, who repeated some of Trump’s lies about voting, lost her bid for secretary of state, which is the position overseeing state elections in most states.
In Michigan, Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson declared victory over Kristina Karamo, a community college lecturer who became one of the country’s most prominent election conspirators.
And in New Mexico, Republican Audrey Trujillo, who has hailed Trump’s efforts to reverse the will of voters in 2020, lost to Democratic Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver.
Doug Mastriano, the GOP candidate for Pennsylvania governor, lost to Democrat Josh Shapiro on election night
Races in Arizona and Nevada, the main swing states where election conspirators were battling for secretary of state positions, stayed too early to call.
But many pro-democracy advocates and Democrats have been cheered by the early results on the political battlefield.
“Ultimately, some voters likely picked candidates because of their commitment to telling the truth and protecting the integrity of the election,” said Ben LaBolt, a Democratic strategist.
Still, some conspirators won secretaries of state in Republican states.
All told, half of the 22 Republicans running for secretary of state — who oversee elections in most states — have repeated Trump’s election lies. Seven supported his attempts to overthrow the will of the people and remain in power.
In another blow to Trump’s presidential ambitions, Ron DeSantis decisively won over Charlie Crist.
Ron DeSantis raced to a comfortable win over Charlie Crist – the biggest win since the Reconstruction era in the late 1800s
Voting ended at 7:00 p.m. and the lead over the win — at least 17 points — was so great that the Associated Press called off the race in just over an hour.
In the early hours of Wednesday he had a 19.4 point lead with 99 percent of the votes counted, a landslide.
DeSantis, 44, who has secured a second term in office, has cemented his position as a star of the Republican Party and a possible nominee for 2024.
In his victory speech, he described the struggles he fought in the first term as COVID-19 paralyzed the country and culture wars erupted.
“We have seen liberty and our way of life wither on the vine in so many other jurisdictions across this country. Florida held the line,” he said to cheers.
“We chose facts over fear; we preferred education to indoctrination.’
Those were the arguments that propelled him onto the national stage. And the scale and nature of his victory – garnering votes in former Democratic stronghold Miami-Dade – will delight supporters with one eye on the White House.
The 44-year-old often leads polls about who Republicans want to run for the White House in 2024 — if former President Donald Trump sits out.
Trump, for his part, sees the danger and fires shots across the governor’s bow.
At a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Trump revealed a new nickname for him: “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
And on Monday he made a veiled threat.
“I don’t know if he’s running. I think if he runs away he could hurt himself very badly, I really think he could hurt himself badly,” Trump said.
He indicated that he was ready to attack with personal data.
‘But if he ran away I could tell you things about him that aren’t very flattering. I know more about him than maybe his wife – who really campaigns for him.