Republicans saw wall-to-wall losses in virtually every major election on Tuesday night, and many MAGA activists are starting to fear what next year's midterm elections may bring.
GOP candidates for governor in New Jersey and Virginia lost to their Democratic opponents by substantial margins, with Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by roughly 15 percentage points in Virginia. Democrat Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey's gubernatorial race by more than a dozen percentage points. In New York City, Democrat Zohran Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (who ran as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary) by more than nine points. And in California, Prop 50 — the measure allowing for new congressional redistricting maps favorable to Democrats to temporarily replace the current maps until the 2030 Census — passed overwhelmingly despite a flood of money from GOP donors against the initiative.
In a series of posts to his Truth Social account, President Donald Trump lamented that because he wasn't on the ballot, his party was unable to get a win. He also urged Senate Republicans to "TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER" and pass legislation making it harder for Americans to vote.
"Pass Voter Reform, Voter ID, No Mail-In Ballots. Save our Supreme Court from 'Packing,' No Two State addition, etc," Trump wrote in a subsequent post.
MAGA's reactions to 2025 election results suggested a dismal mood among Trump's supporters in response to the GOP's nationwide defeat. Turning Point USA executive Tyler Bowyer shared Trump's frustrations about him not being on the ballot, but also chastised Republican leadership for not doing the ground work to be more competitive.
"When Trump isn’t on the ballot and you don’t make investments in chasing votes, you get voters who stay home," Bowyer wrote.
Former Trump campaign chairman and White House chief strategist Steve Bannon told his podcast viewers that Republicans should take Tuesday night's losses to heart, saying: "The midterms start tonight, and the warning signs are flashing." He observed that "Democrats just flipped two Georgia commissioners," marking "their first statewide wins in 30 years."
Far-right influencer Mike Cernovich (who spawned the "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory) tweeted: "Ted Cruz and Mark Levin are walking Trump into impeachments and then prison. 2026 will be a blood bath." MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec likewise warned that "2026 will be worse if we don't course-correct."
"Lame duck status is going to come even faster now," wrote conservative commentator Erick Erickson. Trump cannot turn out the vote unless he is on the ballot, and that is never happening again."