Henry Olsen | Why Republicans suffered such a devastating defeat

Americans have delivered a stinging rebuke to Republicans in Congress. Democrats have swept to substantial gains across the country, securing a commanding majority in the House of Representatives and easily wresting control of the Senate from Republicans. The breadth of the swing has been striking, extending even into traditionally conservative states such as Texas, South Carolina and Kansas, which had not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932. What accounts for Donald Trump’s electoral humiliation? Why have Republicans performed so abysmally? To what extent is the Iran war – and Trump’s decision to launch it – responsible for the scale of the defeat? Or is this election primarily a verdict on the cost of living, with household economic pressures exacerbated not only by the war but also by the tariffs Trump has imposed on America’s trading partners over the past two years? Henry Olsen is one of America’s leading experts on electoral and political affairs. He has written for The Washington Post and worked at the American Enterprise Institute.