GOP 'waiting for Trump to die or quit' as midterm blowout looms: analyst

The Republican Party is waiting for Donald Trump to "quit or die," according to a political analyst who believes the party will struggle next year.

The 2026 midterms could be a blowout for Republican candidates, with many dropping out of the race before it really starts. Abrupt resignations and shock retirements throughout the GOP, including ex-Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene and recently Virginia state Senator Bryan Reeves, have sent the party into turmoil.

Salon's Amanda Marcotte, writing in her Substack, noted that "Virginia state Sen. Bryan Reeves abruptly quit his campaign [Sunday] against an incumbent Democratic senator, Mark Warner of Virginia."

"Reeves gave the usual family excuses, but then basically admitted that there’s no point in running when Trump is the party’s leader. 'We must stop the infighting, regroup, and unite behind principled leadership worthy of our cause,' he posted on X."

"As I wrote earlier this month, Republicans are in a holding pattern, basically waiting for Trump to die or finally quit politics, with the latter feeling almost like a pipe dream at this point in time. Some of them increasingly seem to understand that they don’t really have a political party, just a cult of personality. Their best hope is to bide their time and plan on rebuilding the GOP from the ashes once Trump is gone."

Despite the sweeping losses for the Republican Party ahead of the midterms next year, it is not a guaranteed victory for Democrats. Marcotte warned, "That’s definitely good news, but the big problem is that Democrats are also lost and unsure what their future holds."

"But I think 2026 may show some promising possibilities for the Democrats. The election of Zohran Mamdani in NYC — who will take office later this week! — shows that there really could be a path forward that will energize voters and create real hope for the future — but only if they’re willing to take it."

Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman has since suggested the GOP could end up rebelling against Trump with a potential big split in the making.

He wrote, "For the time being, election victories by Democrats are our only hope of saving American democracy, but in the longer run, we need two decent, sane political parties."