All posts tagged "2025 elections"

Alarmed red state Republican hammers Trump for 'missing bigger picture' in election crash

A sitting Republican lawmaker says his party should be alarmed following a Democratic election sweep amid President Donald Trump's second presidency and the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told CNN anchor Boris Sanchez Wednesday how Trump and the GOP might not have anticipated the strong response from Americans on election night — and that it's time for both parties to negotiate and reopen the government.

He explained how "in these elections, normally the party in power is going to lose. You're going to go backwards. But I think what should alarm Republicans is the margins of victory in New Jersey and Virginia. They weren't even close. And you got to look at it."

Democrats are now in a new position, he explained.

"The Democrats are galvanized. They're angry at DOGE cuts that were on and off, the chaos. They're angry at, whether it's the guard, the National Guard being sent to our cities. I mean, a whole host of issues has galvanized the Democrats, which is somewhat normal."

He also voiced another worry: swing voters "who don't see an improvement in the economy."

"But I think what's concerning is a lot of our swing voters also went back towards Democrats, mainly because they don't see an improvement in the economy. And I think tariffs are part of that problem. And I think the president, by trying to assign blame on the shutdown, I think he's missing the bigger picture on what was the cause of the defeat last night."

Bacon said affordability remains a key concern for Americans and cited Trump's tariff policies for further damaging the party's election results.

"[The president] thinks tariffs is a way forward to bring back manufacturing. And I don't see it," Bacon added. "You know, the Republicans have not supported tariffs since the 1930s. And the tariff strategy has been a lot of tariffs on and off again. And it's been very unpredictable. And I think our economy has had instability because of this.

"The average person, when they go to the supermarket, as you say, they've not seen an improvement. And I don't think you see an improvement in our job numbers. And a whole host of data. We're not seeing really not going backwards, but it's not going forward. And I really think tariffs have undermined the president's economic progress here."

White House insiders show signs of turning on Trump — and expect strategy shift

White House insiders are showing signs that they're turning on President Donald Trump after a Democratic sweep in elections Tuesday, according to a report.

Republicans are apparently are in a tizzy, and a former Trump advisor told Politico that the president is expected to shift his strategy to address the rising cost of living — the issue that matters most to people and one that the party needs to win future election races.

One ally inside the White House told the outlet, “People don’t think he’s lived up to his promises.

“You won on lowering costs, putting more money back into people’s pockets. And people don’t feel that right now.”

But that isn't the only troubling takeaway that GOP insiders are pointing to following Republicans' "miserable" performance in the polls, Politico reported. Conservative strategists are also looking to course correct on future election contenders and noting "that fielding quality candidates matters," according to Politico.

Between his focus on tariffs, aggressive immigration policies, the White House ballroom and foreign wars, Trump appears to have lost touch of how regular Americans are handling rising health care costs, navigating insufficient food assistance and losing SNAP benefits, all while the government remains closed, Politico reported.

Insiders say he now has to face the economy.

“The President hasn’t talked about the cost of living in months,” another White House source told the outlet. “People are still hurting financially and they want to know the White House is paying attention and trying to fix the problem as quickly as possible.”

James Blair, who was the political director for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and the RNC, described the fallout from Republican election losses, specifically in the Virginia and New Jersey governor races.

“You’ll see the president talk a lot about cost of living as we turn … into the new year,” Blair said in an interview for Politico's The Conversation. “The president is very keyed into what’s going on, and he recognizes, like anybody, that it takes time to do an economic turnaround, but all the fundamentals are there, and I think we’ll see him be very, very focused on prices and cost of life.”

The outcome isn't shocking and Trump is facing increased criticism that his focus strayed too much from what matters for everyday people, the report states.

“Too much focus on foreign policy while people are hurting at home delivered exactly the results you’d expect,” another White House insider said.

'Shockwaves': GOP pollster in awe as Republicans in for a 'bad day tomorrow'

An analyst Monday gave a stark warning ahead of the elections Tuesday, saying that voters are signaling they have had enough and are ready to say "to hell with you all."

President Donald Trump's approval rating has hit a second-term low: dropping to 63% among Americans disapproving of him and 37% approving of him, according to a new CNN poll released Monday, just ahead of the off-year election day. Democrats are also showing an advantage when it comes to motivation ahead of the elections, with 67% of Democratic leaning voters saying they are highly motivated to vote vs. 46% of Republican leaning voters saying they are motivated to cast their ballots.

"Republicans are going to have a bad day tomorrow," Frank Luntz, pollster and communications strategist, told CNN anchors Boris Sanchez and Brianna Keilar.

Many of the elections are local or statewide, he added. A key race on the West Coast has his attention.

"But the one that matters the most for the country is the vote in California, whether or not they're going to change the laws for redistricting," Luntz said. "And that could mean as much as a five-seat Democratic gain, five-seat Republican loss if [Gov.] Gavin Newsom is successful in his ballot initiative. At this point, I think he will be. And that's going to send shockwaves across the country as people begin to look at what's going to happen a year from now. I do believe Democrats win the governorship in New Jersey and Virginia, a socialist is going to be elected mayor of New York [City]. But the one that I'm going to be watching most carefully is California."

As the government shutdown drags out into its second month, Americans are tired of it. And that could be reflected in the election outcome, he added.

"And this is the breaking point. When you don't pay our men and women in uniform and they have to go without their weekly paychecks. And you start to have people who cannot afford their food and fuel, then it starts to have an impact. And then people start to say, 'Why is this happening?'" Luntz said.

"I believe that the shutdown is politically motivated," he added. "I believe that if they wanted to, they could find common ground, but they choose not to. And that is hurting the Republican brand, the Republican reputation. Their numbers are down. As you point out in your own polling, with Donald Trump. But the numbers that have fallen the worst, to my surprise, are the Democrats. Everyone is being hurt by this. Everyone's credibility and respect and looking at the government and the public just looks at this and says, 'Why? Why can't you find some agreement? Why can't you give? Can you? Why can't you cooperate?' And that's going to be a very big question. Wednesday and Thursday when this election is over. It is hurting the Republicans, but it seems to be hurting the Democrats even more."

Although it's difficult to predict what might happen next, redistricting is expected to impact the future.

"I'm going to be direct with you. The idea of changing the rules midway is abhorrent that these districts, the lines are drawn and they're supposed to sit for 10 years. And the fact that Republicans have changed the rules in Texas to change them in Ohio, they changed them in North Carolina. Democrats are trying to do the same. They filed lawsuits in New York. They're trying to win in California. It's going to undermine the faith and trust that we have in democracy. And I think it's one of the worst things that could be happening right now," Luntz said.

It's worrying to see the shifting attitudes towards government, especially amid a government shutdown, inflation, affordability and redistricting.

"And I look at this objectively as someone who measures public opinion and it is frightening how low these institutions, their credibility, how much they have fallen, and how the lack of belief and faith and trust in our democracy seems to be hitting an all-time low," Luntz said. "And I am concerned, and I'm hoping that the people who engage in this process pay attention, because we're reaching a breaking point, and it's coming. And after that breaking point, who knows? Who can predict what happens when the public finally says, 'To hell with you all?' And that's where we're heading right now."