The Midterms – How It Happened – my take, by Thomas Del Beccaro

The Democrats outperformed the polls in the 2026 Midterms. There are numerous reasons for that result but only one prominent reason. Here are the reasons as to what happened.

Reason No. 1. Dems Controlled the Narrative. In late September, I wrote at Fox News that, despite good economic numbers, Republicans failed to control the narrative for this election. In politics, you either define yourself or you get defined. The Democrats set the terms of this election debate and it was fought on their turf, i.e. affordability. Republicans did not seek to define it on their terms until it was too late. Most people make up their minds in June and July not October.

Reason No. 2. Elections are about the future. The Democrats had no plan about affordability. Their policies always make that worse. Instead, they were relying on a very sizable anti-Trump vote and the history of the party in the White House losing seats – two other big aspects of what happened.

Republicans running for office failed to do the one thing they needed to do to counter that. Republicans never provided a concrete plan about what they would do if reelected. They should have run a mini platform. If you want people to follow you, it is a good idea to tell them where you are going.

Reason No. 3. The Iran War was never sold to the American voters. Americans today do not have the intestinal fortitude to fight wars. The higher gas prices that came with it only made things far worse. That mattered. It is the economy…

Reason No. 4. A Shrinking coalition. In plain terms, the coalition that elected Trump twice has never grown beyond those who voted on the day of the presidential election. In the 2026 Midterms, under 30 voters and Latinos left the coalition in huge numbers. That is, in part a function of…

Reason No. 5. Voter Impatience. In 2011, I wrote in the Washington Times that voters are very impatient. Republicans have never heeded that warning. Lead or get out of the way I wrote, – or in this case, get cast aside.

Reason No. 6. Republicans in Congress Waited Too Damn Long. The Republicans waited until July to pass the tax cut. I have railed against that delay for 18 months. The economy is humming now. If that bill had been passed in February, the economy would be 6 months better off and that would have mattered. Instead, Republicans fiddled as America burned fighting over vain glorious issues that saved them not at all.

Reason No. 7. The Republican Voter. All of the above mattered. However…

In the final analysis, for many months, Republican voters (a) were well aware that the Democrats were highly motivated, and (b) were aware of how far the Democrat Party had moved to the Left. 

Despite that knowledge, Republicans voters did not come out to counter it. While there may have been a variety of reasons Republicans were less motivated, history will look back at them and find that they permitted this voting result and, therefore, the changes that will occur because of it.

Democrats will vote for their candidates no matter what. Republicans often watch them do it.

Franklin said, “A republic if YOU can keep it.” He did not say if your leaders can keep it. He knew they wouldn’t. Not voting won’t either.

~~~

Thomas G Del Beccaro is a historian and Author of The Divided Era and The Lessons of the American Civilization.

Listen to my Podcast Politics in Perspective @ PoliticalVanguard.com

Sunday nights 7 pm on Youtube, Rumble, X America News on Twitter,

Worlviewtube.com, BuzzSCV.com and AUN TV.