Democratic and GOP strategists on how parties should respond to midterm results

Democrats swept to wins in places Republicans considered secure, and strategists from both parties are now debating why. Mo Elleithee, a Democratic strategist and former Democratic National Committee spokesperson, told PBS NewsHour that Democratic candidates, from the most progressive to the most moderate, stayed on message about cost of living and corruption while declining to chase President Donald Trump's provocations. Doug Heye, a Republican strategist and former Republican National Committee spokesperson, said the political climate was too hostile for Republicans to overcome. He argued only Trump could have changed it, by emphasizing what he was doing for voters rather than projects like the East Wing, an arch or the Kennedy Center.

Heye noted that in North Carolina, three conservative constitutional amendments, including voter I.D. and tax caps, passed with 60 percent, yet Republicans lost the General Assembly and Representative Richard Hudson, who leads House Republicans' reelection efforts, lost his seat. Representative Virginia Foxx trails by 99 votes, heading toward a recount.

Vice President J.D. Vance blamed the war in Iran for the losses. Elleithee said voters were also rejecting broken promises and what he called inhumanity, and that Vance faces a difficult stretch positioning himself.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →