Editorial: As midterms approach, warning signs for Republicans

Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Feb 4, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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Midterms are rarely kind to the president’s party, and with balloting just nine months off, the storm clouds look particularly threatening for Republicans.

On Saturday, a Texas Democrat defeated his GOP opponent by 14 points in a special election for a state Senate seat. This might not usually be big news, but the balloting took place in a district that President Donald Trump carried by 17 points in 2024. That’s a 31-point swing toward Democrats in just 15 months in a reliably red state.

“Special elections are quirky and not necessarily projectable re: a general election,” Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X. “That said, a swing of this magnitude is not something that can be dismissed. Republicans should be clear-eyed about the political environment heading into the midterms.” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick joined the chorus, calling the loss a “wake-up call” and adding that “our voters cannot take anything for granted.”

The Texas results reveal a drift that should alarm the White House as Republicans battle to keep majorities in the Senate and House. The GOP took a beating in November when Democrats easily won statehouse races in Virginia and New Jersey. Boltsmag.org notes that Democrats flipped 21 percent of GOP-held legislative seats in 2025.

The trend certainly has ramifications for Nevada, where Republicans have struggled mightily against incumbent congressional Democrats despite making voter registration gains and earning increasing support from a growing number of Hispanic voters. Candidate quality has certainly been a problem, but recent results around the country indicate the state GOP now has an even taller hill to climb.

“Whatever inroads the GOP was making recently among Latinos in Texas,” Jason Villalba, head of the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation, told the Wall Street Journal, “has begun to really revert back to what it was originally. That will have implications around Texas and around the country.”

Polls show that American voters have significant anxiety over the economy, as Democrats attempt to make “affordability” a top issue. Yet Trump has been pre-occupied in recent months with foreign policy matters — Greenland, Europe, Venezuela, Iran — while his zealous domestic deportation policies, with two dead protesters in Minneapolis, have stirred controversy even among many of his supporters.

There is plenty of time for the political winds to shift before November. The administration has numerous accomplishments, particularly controlling the southern border, tax cuts and regulatory reform. Trump and Republicans can best avoid the looming storm by aggressively emphasizing policies that promote economic growth and the hope and opportunity it provides working-class Americans.

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