Republicans debate way forward after midterm defeat

Republicans are debating how to rebuild after losing control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 3 November midterms. The result gives Democrats greater power to challenge President Donald Trump’s agenda and has prompted competing explanations within his party.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the election as “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans”, the BBC reported. Vice-President JD Vance offered a more specific diagnosis: “The reason we lost is the war,” he wrote on X, referring to the conflict with Iran.

Vance said many people who voted for him and Trump in 2024 had backed Democrats this time because they wanted an end to the war, attention to living costs, an “America First” approach and a changed relationship with Israel. Trump has suggested the war was partly responsible for the losses, while continuing to defend his decision to launch it, CBS News reported.

Trump ally Steve Bannon blamed the economy and “foreign wars”, according to the BBC, but argued that the administration had not fully implemented the Make America Great Again programme. He called for Trump to pursue further mass deportations.

An Associated Press survey of about 80,000 voters across all 50 states points to differences within the Republican electorate, while also showing that Trump retains substantial support. About two-thirds of Republican voters under 30 approved of his performance as president, compared with about nine in ten Republican voters aged 65 and over.

The same survey found that around six in ten Republican voters under 45 thought the US had made the right decision in taking military action against Iran, compared with around eight in ten of those aged 45 and over. It does not establish how many votes the war cost Republicans or why non-voters stayed home.

The party faces leadership decisions as well as questions about its 2028 presidential nominee. The AP reports that Republican National Committee co-chair KC Crosbie plans to run for chair in January, while Trump has backed the current chair, Joe Gruters. On Friday, Trump appointed long-time aide Stephen Miller, known for his hardline immigration policies, as White House chief of staff.

Republican strategist Whit Ayres told the BBC that Vance had been the favourite for the 2028 nomination before the midterms, but that he now expected an open contest.