When the Red Wave failed to materialize, Republicans began pointing fingers, sharing who they believe is to blame for their disappointing showing in the midterm elections.
By Wednesday evening, the ballots for either the House or Senate were still too close to call, a sign the Red Wave — predicted for the lower Congressional chamber — hadn’t come to fruition.
Before Wednesday’s too-close-to-call figures many had predicted Republicans would win the House by double-digit figures. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA.) predicted Republicans would gain 60 seats while others gave more conservative estimates, saying Republicans would gain between 15 and 30 seats.
Yet, neither of these predictions looks set to come true, as it looks as though Republicans will gain no more than nine seats in the House, giving them a slim majority.
The same is true for the Senate, Republicans weren’t predicted to have a runaway victory in the upper chamber, but adding one or two seats in battleground districts would give the GOP a narrow majority, enough to deprive Democrats of legislative victories.
With the Senate races in Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia still too close to call, that hope may evaporate.
The results contrast the polling figures — which placed concern for inflation far ahead of abortion and the majority of voters saying they’re unsatisfied with the country’s trajectory.
To explain the contrast, Republican strategists and aides are blaming former President Donald Trump, his selection of endorsed candidates described as “weak” and “inexperienced,” and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for putting abortion on the ballot.
