Aftershocks of GOP’s midterm election disappointments reach RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel’s office — and McDaniel herself
The election of Donald Trump and the stunning defeat that handed a large portion of America’s House of Representatives to the GOP came and went with little fanfare on Tuesday. Some observers are already looking to the next election, which is expected to come in 2022, to decide if the United States elect Democratic governors or even a new president.
While the party did not deliver on its promises, it managed to improve its fortunes. For one thing, it did manage to keep the Senate, and there were other successes, such as defeating some long-time GOP House members who drove President Barack Obama’s agenda, a net gain of 12 seats, according to NBC News.
Here’s a look at how the midterm elections fared for the GOP.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
For the Republicans, it all started with their presidential nominee, Donald Trump , who emerged from the GOP primaries with an astounding, if not always predictable, winning streak.
Trump won the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary (unofficial) and Colorado caucus while finishing in third place, just behind his rival Ted Cruz. He ended up with more votes than Cruz but less than Clinton, saying that the party should look forward, not back.
Many voters were convinced Trump would continue his momentum and unleash his populist message: He would stop illegal immigration, bring jobs back to America and make America great again. Yet the new president unexpectedly and suddenly stopped making good on his promise to Mexico to build a wall and to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
Trump was reluctant to make good on past campaigns promises to maintain military spending and reduce the national debt, a decision that angered some of his supporters. Still, he was able to persuade voters that he was
