In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.

After the Republicans took a shellacking this month, President Donald Trump pointed out that the GOP tends to lose when he’s not on the ballot. But that’s not exactly right: MAGA candidates tend to lose when Trump isn’t on the ballot. That’s going to happen when a political party is transformed into a personality cult. Just ask Democrats, who lost over 1,000 seats during Barack Obama’s presidency.