Well, this one’s going to sting Trump and more than a little bit. In his adopted home state of Florida Democrats flipped a couple of state legislative seats from Red to Blue. Trump of course endorsed the GOP slate which in ruby Red Florida would seem a safe bet. Oops. Worse, one of the seats that flipped happened to be the seat in the state legislature in which Trump’s beloved Mar A Lago sits. Imagine if you will Trump wanting something from his state representative, and having to call a DEMOCRAT to ask for a favor!
Yes, Tuesday night was a bad night for Trump as Newsweek tells us. In districts he carried by double digits Florida Republicans he endorsed lost to Democrats. As I said what really caused the ketchup bottles to go flying was right there where HE literally lives he put out messaging for the Republican Jon Maples, who lost to Democrat Emily Gregory. Yep, it was a bad night for Trump and not just in Florida:
President Donald Trump faced a bruising election night on Tuesday, as two Democrats flipped seats in reliably red Florida and the North Carolina Senate leader the president had endorsed for reelection conceded defeat in his primary race.
Newsweek contacted the White House via an email sent outside regular business hours for comment.
I’m not holding my breath waiting for the WH, much less Trump to comment. He’s experiencing plenty of butt-hurt. Polls show he’s continuing to lose support and in some specific groups that spell trouble for the GOP overall. But for Trump there’s the fact it’s personal, especially with Martin’s loss to Maples. Trump had talked the guy up on Truth Social even, but it wasn’t enough even though he’d carried the district by double digits as had candidates for that state seat prior to the other night.
As the linked article points out these two flips don’t change the GOP’s supermajority status in Florida. However it does suggest that like in other states including Red ones Republicans can’t just assume being able to coast to wins this fall, even if their district has had a double digit GOP lean in the past. And for Trump, if his endorsement isn’t enough to prevent a significant double digit swing literally where he lives it’s still more pressure he’s clearly not handling well these days. Hell, he’s gone TACO in Texas when it comes to an endorsement in the GOP Senate primary.
Too add to Trumpty-Dumpty’s troubles another candidate he’d publicly endorsed finally threw in the towel and conceded defeat. North Carolina will loom huge this fall as Democrats have a great candidate that will likely flip the Red U.S. Senate seat Thom Tillis is retiring from to Blue. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and the state is pretty equally divided between Democrats, Republicans and Independents. You’d never know it looking at the state legislature or the Congressional delegation however. It’s been viciously gerrymandered to favor the GOP, and the chief architect of it all was was state Senate leader Phil Berger:
Trump had endorsed Berger for reelection in December, writing in a Truth Social post that Berger is an “America First Patriot” who is “doing an incredible job.” In the same post, Trump called Page “GREAT,” but said he wanted him to “come work for us in Washington, D.C., rather than further considering a run against Phil.”
Berger’s efforts here (full disclosure, I’m a transplanted Carolinian) were part of Trump’s mid census cycle redistricting scheme to net the GOP more House seats. Which happened and worse survived court challenge. Since Democrats have won the top state level offices in recent cycles (you can’t gerrymander an entire state) registered Independents which are actually the states largest voting bloc will be crucial this fall. Anger with Trump and general GOP f**kery seem to be manifesting. Berger had a surprisingly strong primary challenger and the day after the election Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page was ahead by two votes. The margin grew to 23 after recounting but Berger kept fighting, including trying to get ballots thrown out. That’s not something that goes over well even with Republicans and this district is heavily Republican.
That it was even a close race means once overwhelming support for Berger just isn’t there anymore. And it seems even he recognized how his petulant refusal to admit defeat to a solid conservative candidate was getting noticed and not in a good way for him or the state Party. So, after Tuesday he conceded:
“While this was a close race, the voters have spoken, and I congratulate Sheriff Page on his victory,” Berger said in a statement.
Trump had endorsed Berger for reelection in December, writing in a Truth Social post that Berger is an “America First Patriot” who is “doing an incredible job.” In the same post, Trump called Page “GREAT,” but said he wanted him to “come work for us in Washington, D.C., rather than further considering a run against Phil.”
Luckily for Trump he tossed in some Page praise he can try to spin in his favor. However the loss of Berger is going to be a blow to the state’s GOP legislature super-majority. They only have it because a Democrat down in Mecklenberg County (Charlotte) switched to the GOP. She’s toast and her seat will turn Blue again this fall. The larger concern for Republicans here, as in Florida and other places is that not even those in double-digits seats are safe. Even from their own voters!
Trump still has Epstein out there haunting him. He’s got an economy that’s only benefitting his rich cronies and MAGAs are increasingly upset he’s not doing doing anything to help THEM. Yes, they are placing blame on others and saying Trump’s listening to the wrong people but there’s a growing restlessness in MAGA World. The question of ‘When is he going to work on helping US?’ is being asked more and more. With thirty state legislative seats (so far) around the country having flipped our way, and now these losses in high profile elections (the other seat that flipped in Florida was to replace the Republican who joined the DeSantis administration) by Trump endorsed candidates is telling.
Trump is dragging them all down. Even if he pulls a rabbit out of his ass and steers down an off ramp from his Iran War with only some dents and scrapes he’s still got Epstein and a country full of average income and poor voters unhappy with him. Throw in other stuff like his brutal immigration/deportation policies and GOPers unwillingness to rein him in and it’s understandable why the list of vulnerable Republicans has expanded. Until recently it was assumed only those in mid single-digit seats were vulnerable. Now? Even double-digits seats are in play!
Even worse for Trump is something I mentioned earlier. You can’t gerrymander an entire state. The anger with Trump that’s being borne by lower ranking Republicans is increasingly showing signs of affecting SENATE races. Tuesday’s results are scaring the hell out of Trump because even he realizes both how unpopular he’s become, AND that his Trump Stench now exudes off most Republican candidates. Finally, it’s not just both chambers of Congress he (and the GOP) have to worry about, it’s changes in state legislatures too.
Trump’s endorsement has lost a lot of it’s value. In some places it could actually become a curse if MAGAs object. In Texas they say if Trump endorses Cornyn over Paxton there will be hell to pay. However for reasons I’ve gone into even in lower profile state races being endorsed by Trump can wind up hurting more than it helps. Since I’m not a ketchup bottle in whatever building Trump happens to be in I’m enjoying the hell out of this. You should too.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
Yeah I’m loving it to. This is FAFO for Donald and all his ass-lickers. Bring it on.
Denis, thank you for this wonderfully uplifting piece. The tide has turned!
Could this be what we are witnessing?
Loved this!