Dem's stunning upset in red state should have Trump 'very worried': analyst

Republicans got another flashing warning sign on Tuesday night as Democrats notched another stunning electoral upset in a red state amid plummeting approval ratings for President Donald Trump.

Renee Hardman scored a massive 71.5 percent of the vote in the race for Iowa state Senate — a jaw-dropping 27 points higher than former Vice President Kamala Harris managed statewide just a year ago. Hardman's historic win blocked the GOP from snagging a supermajority in the chamber and made history as the first Black woman elected to the chamber.

Malcom Ferguson of The New Republic wrote Wednesday that a Democratic victory that large in a red state "mirrors recent historic results elsewhere, and may indicate that voters may be fatigued or are just outright rejecting anything to do with President Donald Trump."

"Those results include Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill’s gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey. But a victory in a small, downballot race such as Hardman’s shows that disapproval of Trump and his administration may be hitting closer to home as the government fails to end endless wars and make the country more affordable," he said.

Voters are tired of "endless wars" and skyrocketing costs, he opined. Hardman's down-ballot victory proves the anti-Trump sentiment isn't just limited to major races; it's filtering into local politics too.

Democrats flipped three Mississippi state Senate seats after 13 years, torpedoed a 36-year Republican incumbent in Virginia, and scored historic Georgia wins. Even Erie County, Pennsylvania — Trump territory in 2024 — swung Democratic.

"All that is to say that these results should have Trump very worried about how negatively Americans are feeling about his second term, even those who voted for him in 2024. If this holds, it could be a major issue for the GOP come 2026 midterms," warned Ferguson.