The GOP’s shellacking in the 2026 midterm elections, leading to Democratic control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, is not an isolated political occurrence. It is a consequence of policy and ideological choices made by the party’s leadership, moving the party away from its traditional Reaganian and Bushian principles toward embracing protectionism, isolationism, nativism, and other fundamentally illiberal and unconservative philosophies.
So much so that long-standing GOP strategist Karl Rove openly declared that his party had been captured by Nazis and that he’d vote Democrat in these elections. The powerful Bush family in Texas publicly sided with Democrat James Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton, citing concerns with Paxton’s candidacy.
