Practically every political analyst projected a resounding Republican victory in the midterm elections of 2022. Even pro-Democratic Party commentators predicted a “red wave” in favor of conservative politicians.
The red wave was no more than a red trickle as the electoral map’s dust cleared. Republicans far from won a landslide victory in the end results. On the other hand, it was a genuinely depressing election cycle. It was painfully disappointing.
So, what went wrong? Political analysts started analyzing the unusual outcome right away. Republicans looked to be in for a defeat given the president’s low approval rating and the widespread perception that the nation is moving in the wrong direction.
Some Republicans did obliterate their opponents. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio won landslide victories. Ohio’s J.D. Vance beat down his Democrat opponent Tim Ryan to win one of the state’s pair of U.S. Senate seats.
There were some other encouraging victories by Republican candidates. However, far too many projected victories turned out to be disappointing defeats. Some Republican supporters are furious. But who should conservatives blame for their underwhelming performance?
President Trump zeroed in on one specific race. Most felt Dr. Mehmet Oz was an odds-on favorite to knock off the radical progressive John Fetterman. After a stroke, Fetterman’s health was seriously questioned. Additionally, he was one of the most far-left candidates on the ballot.
But Oz got drubbed. The race wasn’t really even close. As in the Pennsylvania Senate race, Republicans must search for the reasons why they lost so many projected winners. Didn’t they provide voters with appealing candidates to rebuke the failed presidency of Joe Biden?
That’s probably the most likely reason. As the country now looks towards the critical 2024 presidential race, that’s where the Republicans’ strategy should be focused. But that’s not where former President Trump’s mindset was when analyzing the Dr. Mehmet Oz drubbing.
Strangely, the former president blamed it on someone who really had nothing to do with Oz’s campaign. President Trump blamed Dr. Oz’s loss on his wife. We’ll repeat that, just in case anyone questions that it’s a misprint.
President Donald Trump was quoted in a FOX News report that he “is blaming everyone who advised him to back Oz – including his wife, describing it as not her best decision.” What a minute. There’s certainly some reasonable explanation for this bizarre excuse.
Sure, Melania may have made a strong suggestion to back the popular TV doctor. But in the end, the final decision for endorsements rests with the individual making the endorsement. One would assume this to be true, especially for someone as headstrong as the former president.
But blaming Melania for Dr. Oz’s woeful performance isn’t the only person President Trump blamed for the underwhelming Republican midterm performance. The FOX News story went on to describe how adamantly President Trump was in his support for Oz.
The report said that it’s “Worth remembering that Trump is a grown man who endorsed Oz over the objection of some of the people closest to him, and instead went beyond just endorsing and attacked Dave McCormick from the stage at a rally.”
Tuesday night’s Republican underperformance was also colored by some other facts. Those President Trump-endorsed candidates, who won, did so in heavily red states. Most of the closer contests turned out to be disappointments for the former president’s endorsements.
There were 16 Trump-endorsed winners who ran unopposed. Republicans and the former president need to dissect what happened during the midterms. Over three-quarters of the country insisted that the U.S. is on the wrong path.
That should have spelled sweeping victories for the opposition party. It did not. Why would Americans feel that leadership is doing a poor job but reelect that leadership? Some believe it’s because the alternative was even less appealing.
Many of the key losses for Republicans were President Trump endorsed candidates. The facts do not lie. Is the former president’s appeal waning? After watching the ultra-popular Florida governor obliterate his challenger, is Ron DeSantis the new future?
After the 2022 midterms’ huge disappointment, Republicans need to take stock of what the voters told them. They are mad as hell at the current administration. However, conservative candidates didn’t appeal to them either. Analyzing the results of the midterms will take months.
Time will go fast ahead of a wide-open push that will begin with the presidential primaries. Is President Trump the right person to stop a push for big government socialism? Since the fate of American democracy rests with the Republican Party and its voters, they’d better be sure.
Photo Credit: Anthony Quintano
