DeSantis Calls Democratic Midterm Sweep 'Close to an Extinction-Level Event' for Republicans

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said at a press conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday that Tuesday's midterm elections were close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country. He singled out Texas, where Democrat James Talarico won a U.S. Senate seat and Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated GOP Gov. Greg Abbott. Calling Texas the crown jewel of Republican politics, DeSantis said the party would not be viable nationally without it as an anchor and that the damage could reverberate for a decade or more. He also said only one of the ten largest states, Florida, would remain under Republican control.

Elsewhere, ZeroHedge reported that Democrats flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats and took the House. NBC News had the Senate at 54-44 with Mississippi and Alaska undecided. Democrats could reach 56 seats if both races break their way. Punchbowl News expects a Democratic House majority above 250 seats, and Hakeem Jeffries is set to become speaker. DeSantis said a 56-seat Democratic Senate could block Trump's Supreme Court nominees and Cabinet picks with strong conservative credentials.

Left-leaning HuffPost leads with DeSantis's dramatic language, including his comparison of the result to a meteor strike, and centers on Texas, the Senate losses and his warnings about Trump's nominees. It presents him as a longtime Trump ally. On the right, the Daily Mail frames the story as a swipe at Trump and a 2028 move, citing his earlier podcast remarks that the Iran war raised gas prices and that Republicans who deny this are gaslighting voters. The Daily Caller instead stresses his blame of Washington Republicans, citing congressional stock trading, the Epstein files vote and weak messaging, and his view that the result was no embrace of Democrats. Both sides carry the extinction-level quote and the Texas warning. ZeroHedge adds a seat-by-seat tally and a Michigan result, with little DeSantis focus.