Vice President JD Vance gives his thoughts and impressions on the midterm election result.
JD VANCE (Via X) – “One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was “composition”—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was merely OK, in other states it was downright amazing, and in no state was it catastrophic. There was a genuine sense of optimism on our team: our people were showing up.
So, I asked the smartest data guy I know, does that mean we’re going to shock the world? “No,” he told me. “We might do better than the polls suggest. But the data is telling us that a lot of Trump/Vance 2024 voters are pissed and planning to vote for the other guys. Our voters are turning out, but they may not vote for us.”
Well, that looks prophetic now. Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.
There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch. I’m sure that’s true.
But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone.
Another pollster—one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we’d lose the generic ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team.
The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were:
1) End the war
2) Focus on cost of living/inflation
3) Put America First
4) Change our relationship to Israel
Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, it turns out her political advice was sound. (She’s also a great person.)
In the next few months, there’s going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty. I’m open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you.
The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.
If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest.
But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.
I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, “I told you so”: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.” (link)

Anyone who wants to understand yesterday’s outcome would do well to take a look at Hamilton County Indiana-or any other suburban “donut county” (counties that surround the major metropolitan area, like Indy).
Hamilton County sits north of Marion County (Indianapolis). Back in the 70’s and 80’s it was at least 99% Republican, although sparsely populated. There was no such thing as an organized Democrat Party in Hamilton County in those days.
This was true for most donut counties around the country.
Hamilton County (Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Westfield) began a population boom in the 80’s. Hundreds of thousands of business people, executives, and later tech people moved their businesses and their families to Hamilton County. Most of them were leftists.
I didn’t notice any change until 2008. Barack Hussein Obama won approximately 51% of the votes in Hamilton County in that election. 2008.
Yesterday-2026-the DemonCrats beat the RepubliCons like a drum in Hamilton County, up and down the ballot in multiple races. It appears that Hamilton County is now DemonCrat Blue.
And by the way, in addition to the mosque in Fishers, there’s also a ginormous mosque in Carmel and more mosques being planned in Noblesville and Westfield.
This tragic story is being played out in suburban donut counties all across America.
Beware, be armed, and pray continually.
I agree with your analysis. I live here and have witnessed this swing as all this people with money move here and change the landscape and it is horrible. I knew when they recruited Beau Bayh that they were recruiting someone who would have an effect on the down ballot races, and that is exactly how they wiped out Hamilton County yesterday. JD Ford as our Congressman is a sad joke and he didn’t stand a chance without the assist from a lot of out of town money for crazy ads and Beau Bayh being the top vote getter for down ballot seats. It is a horrible change of events for those of us who live here. And don’t get me started on the dang mosque!
I’m going to take a wild guess on this list of things disloyal Trump supporters supposedly stated as their reason for ditching Trump: These are things that Vance himself has talked about. My guess is Vance is preparing for a presidential run by taking stands that differentiate himself from President Trump. He has shown a definite disloyalty to Israel, in fact a degree of anti-Israel animus. I believe this list is meant to criticize Trump and I think it is s sign of Vance’s disloyalty. Vance has had a tin ear about most of the things he has said in the past. I’m not sure what that’s about, but he has alienated a lot of voters as a result.
Vance is correct; you Eve Rowell are wrong.
My husband and I are the most staunch PDJT supporters. We have been with him since the 2015 escalator. I have been up all night and much of the last two weeks as a Republican Observer at polls and ballot counting.
We both think and have found on the ground that these on the four issues that affected people’s votes.
People feel their economic situation is bad. Expenses and cost of living keep going up. First it was groceries, then gas, then utilities, then health care premiums while income hasn’t risen or is fixed. People are worried and scared.
“… he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team.
The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were:
1) End the war
2) Focus on cost of living/inflation
3) Put America First
4) Change our relationship to Israel…”
This is what the disaffected voters said. Now you’ve refuted them, so their message can be safely ignored. /s
BTW, I voted a straight R ticket. And I also know that there was huge money spent to make them disaffected. That doesn’t change the fact that it is the way a lot of people feel.
Eric Daugherty
@EricLDaugh
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump APPROVES of JD Vance’s LENGTHY post blaming midterm losses on the Iran war, affordability and more
“I know how he feels…it was good.”
“We knew that. I knew that when I went in. And we stopped them from having a nuclear weapon.”
47 says he HAS spoken to Vance
JD is on FULL repair and win mode ahead of 2028. It’s what we need. We HAVE to turn it around!
Video…
https://nitter.click/EricLDaugh/status/2118046204152164464#m
well thats gonna cause some cognitive dissonance here….
I still think the Dems cheated in every way possible with their thumb drives a la Clyburn, drop boxes galore, scanners that didn’t work. Millions of illegal voters from mostly Somalia. Maine flipped with Somalis, Minnesota, Michigan where they all vouch for each other.
Seems as though the fix was pre ordained by ?
Vance couldn’t deliver his own state. Separating himself with this statement from President Trump is for ’28 puts him in a bin with DeSanctimonious that I will not support.