Extinction-level event,' 'Blue tsunami': How Republicans eyeing 2028 are taking midterm losses

Republicans weighing possible presidential bids in 2028 are reacting to heavy losses in the midterm elections, after Democrats won back both the House and the Senate and also carried Senate races in deep-red states. Sen. Ted Cruz described the result as a “Watergate-level repudiation,” arguing Republicans failed to fully grasp the impact of cost of living. He said “2026” was more like a “blue tsunami,” citing Texas as a stark example, where Republicans lost every statewide election and he remains the only statewide elected Republican. Gov. Ron DeSantis called the outcome a “close to an extinction-level event,” likening it to a meteor strike across the U.S.