TRUMP’S PERSONAL PICKS FALL ONE AFTER ANOTHER AS DEMOCRATS CAPTURE THE US SENATE
November 4, 2026
US President Donald Trump’s decision to personally endorse Republican candidates in several crucial Senate contests failed to deliver the electoral victories he had sought, with Democratic candidates defeating his preferred nominees in South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas and Michigan in the November 2026 midterm elections.
The defeats handed Democrats control of the Senate and raised questions about the limits of Trump’s influence over the Republican Party and the wider electorate. For more than a decade, Trump has reshaped the party around his MAGA movement, frequently intervening in primary contests to promote candidates considered loyal to his political agenda.
In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, the sister of former Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. The state had not elected a Democratic senator since 1998 and had supported Trump by an 18-percentage-point margin in the 2024 presidential election.
In North Carolina, former Democratic governor Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, a former senior Republican campaign official backed by Trump. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom Trump had supported over incumbent Senator John Cornyn during a divisive Republican primary. The victory gave Democrats a Texas Senate seat they had not won since 1988.
Michigan also delivered a setback for Trump’s preferred candidate, as Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated former US Representative Mike Rogers. El-Sayed is set to become the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate.
The results came amid declining public approval of Trump and growing Republican concerns that his political standing had become a liability for the party. Reuters/Ipsos polling had indicated that his popularity before the election was lower than it had been in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Republican strategist Doug Heye described the outcome as a “Trump Quake”, pointing to voter frustration over high prices linked to tariffs and the war in Iran. He argued that Trump had spent the year emphasising his own priorities rather than the issues that mattered most to voters.
Trump, however, responded defiantly as the results emerged, claiming on social media that he would have won by a landslide had his name appeared on the ballot. A White House official defended his campaigning efforts, saying he had promoted several candidates more effectively than they had promoted themselves.
The administration had reportedly received polling information weeks before election day indicating that Republicans were at risk of losing both chambers of Congress. Trump subsequently undertook a nationwide campaign to improve the party’s prospects.
Some political analysts argued that Trump's intervention in Republican primaries had directly contributed to the Senate losses. Thomas Kahn of American University said the decision to favour Paxton over Cornyn in Texas had cost Republicans a seat they could otherwise have retained. He also argued that Trump's earlier conflict with North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis had helped create the conditions for Cooper's victory.
Former North Carolina governor and Republican Pat McCrory said Trump's interventions had divided Republicans across several states. He also questioned whether the President had maintained his earlier connection with working-class voters, whom he described as central to Trump's political coalition.
The Senate defeats therefore exposed a significant challenge for the Republican Party: Trump's endorsement remained influential in determining party nominations, but it did not guarantee support from the broader electorate in the general election.
