DeSantis Calls Midterm Losses Near 'Extinction-Level Event' for GOP, Citing Texas Defeats
Photo: Washington ExaminerFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said at a press conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday that Tuesday's midterm losses came close to an extinction-level event for his party. He pointed to Texas, where Democrat James Talarico won a U.S. Senate seat and Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. He called the state the crown jewel of Republican politics and said the party would not be viable nationally without it. He said the damage could last a decade or more and that Florida would be the only one of the ten largest states under Republican control. DeSantis said the 56 Senate Democrats projected could block President Trump's Supreme Court nominees and Cabinet picks with strong conservative credentials. Counting was unfinished. NBC News had the Senate at 54-44 with two races open: in Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 43 votes, and in Alaska, Sen. Dan Sullivan led Democrat Mary Peltola by 1,677 votes with about 80,000 ballots left. Democrats also won the House, which Punchbowl News expected to exceed 250 seats, and flipped at least four governorships. Before the election, DeSantis told Stephen A. Smith's podcast that Republicans denying the Iran war raised gas prices were gaslighting voters.
Right-leaning outlets split. The Daily Mail leads with DeSantis taking a swipe at Trump and making a 2028 move, citing his gaslighting remarks, his description of the Iran war as a drag, and his comparison to the quick Venezuela operation. The Washington Examiner runs a call for rebuilding, urging the Republican National Committee's 168 members to exercise independent judgment and restore a broad-tent party. HuffPost and Politico, on the left, quote DeSantis's meteor-strike and extinction-level language, and Politico says he blamed factors from the Epstein files onward. HuffPost stresses Texas and the Senate block on Trump's nominees. Both sides use the extinction-level phrase and the Texas losses. ZeroHedge differs by centering vote tallies, Jeffries and the Alaska ballot probe rather than DeSantis.
How the sides differ Right sources stress Republican rebuilding and DeSantis's criticism of Trump's Iran war; left sources stress the scale of losses; alternative sources focus on seat counts and unfinished races.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
HuffPost and Politico lead with DeSantis's blunt post-election assessment, quoting his meteor-strike and extinction-level remarks, the Texas losses and the Senate threat to Trump's nominees; Politico says he blamed multiple factors, including the Epstein files.
ZeroHedge leads with a results rundown: Democratic Senate and House gains, close Mississippi and Alaska counts, Hakeem Jeffries's speakership prospects and Michigan's El-Sayed win, attributing the extinction-level phrase to Punchbowl News.
The Daily Mail focuses on DeSantis criticizing Trump over the Iran war and gas prices, with a 2028 angle. The Washington Examiner offers a column urging Republicans and the RNC to rebuild the party.