Senate GOP Leaders Should Resign for Failing Their Base and Contributing to the Midterm Defeat
Source: Shawn Fleetwood. "After Midterm Drubbing, Senate GOP Leadership Should Resign." November 4, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author says Republicans got crushed in the midterms partly because Senate GOP leaders spent two years stalling Trump's nominees and ignoring what their voters wanted, like voter ID legislation and ending Obamacare. Since the base had no reason to show up, the leaders should take responsibility and resign. He admits the Iran war also hurt, but says leadership's failures were a major factor.
Conclusion
Senate Republican leadership, including Majority Leader John Thune, should resign their posts because their failure to deliver on conservative priorities helped cause the party's 2026 midterm losses.
Premises
- Republicans suffered a disastrous midterm: Democrats are projected to win the House and are poised to take the Senate, and Republicans lost or nearly lost Senate seats in supposedly safe red states such as South Carolina, Kansas, Nebraska and Mississippi.
- Although the Iran war and its economic effects were a major cause of the losses, Senate GOP leadership is another major culprit.
- Senate GOP leaders spent the past two years undermining or neglecting conservative priorities: they dragged their feet on Trump's cabinet nominees, resisted the SAVE America Act and use of the talking filibuster, and passed little beyond a tax cut bill.
- Leadership also left other issues conservative voters care about unaddressed, including repealing Obamacare, controlling spending and reining in rogue judges.
- Because of this, Republican voters had no reason to turn out, and the party offered no message beyond 'We're not Democrats,' while Democrats delivered for and fought for their voters.
- Leaders who bear responsibility for such a failure should take responsibility and give up their posts to senators who agree with and will work for the voters.
Assumptions
- Voter turnout and midterm results are significantly driven by whether congressional leaders deliver on base priorities.
- Senate leadership, rather than individual senators, the filibuster rules, or the narrow majority, is the cause of the legislative inaction.
- The SAVE America Act, Obamacare repeal and similar items were achievable if leadership had tried harder (e.g., by using the talking filibuster).
- Senate Republicans' resistance to Trump's nominees and agenda was contrary to what GOP voters wanted.
- Leaders should resign when their party suffers major electoral losses they contributed to.
- The Republican base is the key electoral constituency and its demobilization explains the losses more than swing-voter reactions to the Iran war and the economy.