Cataclysmic. Bloodbath. Inevitable. As in 2006, many words can describe what happened to the GOP in the 2026 midterm elections. Emerging from the wreckage is one Republican who did not participate in the current administration's misfortunes and instead could be laying the groundwork for 2028. That person is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
Ron DeSantis Delivers Post-Mortem
DeSantis became the Republican grown-up in the room. His message? The GOP fumbled the ball. "This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country," he said.
At a Nov. 4 news conference, he delivered a post-mortem on what went wrong with the Republican Party. While Democrats popped open the bubbly, thinking they were popular again, DeSantis contended that the losses were a repudiation of Republicans over the last two years.
“This was not a positive view of the Democrats,” he said. “This was a rejection of Republicans in Washington.”
But the former presidential candidate can take solace in the fact that the Sunshine State was largely immune from this extinction. Florida will be the only one of the nation's ten largest states with Republican control once new officials are sworn in.
The day before the election, DeSantis saw the writing on the wall and delivered a scathing review of the Republican Party. In an interview with political and sports commentator Stephen A. Smith, he gave one reason: gas prices.
"Some of these Republicans are saying, 'Oh, well, the gas, don't worry. It's no big deal.' Or they're trying to blame Biden. No, no. Listen, we've just got to be honest. Gas is higher. It hurts people, working-class people, and it's higher because of the Iran conflict. That's just the fact. If you can't admit that to voters, then you're gaslighting them, and they're not going to listen to you on other things."
Exit polling data showed that gasoline prices were a top concern for a majority of voters. Rightfully so: The national average for a gallon of gas was firmly above $4 on Election Day, up more than 30% from a year ago. Prior to the war in Iran, gas prices had been edging lower, with many states reporting sub-$3 gas.
Two other factors: the Epstein files and congressional stock trading. According to DeSantis, it was a "bad vote" for those Republicans who opposed releasing documents, and "it's untenable when you have people going in trading stocks."
DeSantis 2028?
The governor ran for president in 2024. It was a disaster. He was wooden during debates. He was not as combative with the press as he was back home. He struggled to gain ground. The targeting of President Donald Trump also did not help his campaign, something DeSantis acknowledged.
"I had a lady come up to me. She's like, 'I think you'd be a better president than him, but what they're doing to Trump, I've got to go,'" he said. "I just ran into a brick wall."
Is DeSantis setting the stage for a 2028 White House bid? Suffice it to say, it’s either 2028 or never, as his record and presence may be largely forgotten by 2032.
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But two individuals could be in his way: Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. As of Nov. 5, Polymarket suggests Vance is the favorite at 34%. Rubio sits in second place at 18%, followed by DeSantis at 14%. Notably, however, the Florida governor's odds have jumped nearly 10 points since November started.
Vance, taking a page out of the DeSantis playbook, is also conducting a post-election analysis of what went wrong. His conclusion is that the war in Iran was the party’s death knell, along with affordability. Rubio has yet to deliver an oration on the midterm results.
The GOP primary season should be popcorn entertainment, to say the least. On the debate stage, Vance will be reminded that he was second in command and played a part in the administration’s decisions. DeSantis, meanwhile, was enjoying the beautiful weather in Tallahassee, focused on parental rights and retiring state debt. In other words, he had no role in anything voters disliked coming out of the nation’s capital.
The coming months could birth internal drama within the Republican Party. Will GOP lawmakers and talking heads still rally around the president? Or will Trump’s stranglehold begin to dissipate? Could Vance and Rubio unite?
"Trump has yet to endorse anyone for 2028 but has repeatedly called a potential presidential ticket featuring Vance and Rubio a 'dream team' and an unstoppable combination, a sentiment with which numerous Republican voters would likely agree," Liberty Nation News’ Corey Smith wrote.
Ultimately, it all depends on polls, prediction markets, and perhaps independents, a sizable bloc that leaned Democrat in the midterms.
2006 All Over Again
If the past is truly prologue, then 2026 could emulate 2006. Twenty years ago, President George W. Bush and the Republicans were deeply unpopular, primarily because of the disastrous war in Iraq. Twenty years later, the same grievances have popped up.
It took the GOP a decade to repair its brand, with support from a billionaire outsider. In the coming years, it may take someone who has no connection to the administration to resurrect the elephants. This time, however, DeSantis might need to wade through the rubble and rebuild the party in two years, not in 2036.
