Ben Shapiro Calls Early Midterm Results a Republican Wipeout

Ben Shapiro described the early results of the 2026 midterm elections as a broad setback for Republicans, arguing that the outcome reflected more than weaknesses among individual candidates. During a Tuesday night appearance on the All-In podcast, he said the voting suggested the president had effectively been part of the contest.

The podcast streamed between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET, with some major races still awaiting calls during the broadcast. Shapiro pointed to the president’s own framing of the election, saying he had encouraged voters to treat it as a referendum on his leadership and to act as though his name appeared on the ballot.

“The president was kind of on the ballot,” Shapiro said. His assessment connected the early Republican losses to that message, rather than attributing the results solely to the strengths or shortcomings of candidates in separate races. He described the evening as one Republicans would not want to remember.

Shapiro said a handful of defeats involving especially weak Republican candidates, or victories by particularly strong Democrats, would have offered a different explanation. He cited Ken Paxton in Texas as an example of a poor Republican candidate and Josh Turek in Iowa as an example of a strong Democratic contender. But he argued that the picture emerging across states went beyond those circumstances.

Texas produced two historic Democratic victories. James Talarico defeated Paxton, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state in 38 years. In the governor’s race, Gina Hinojosa beat Greg Abbott, making her the first Democrat elected Texas governor in 36 years.

South Carolina also figured in Shapiro’s assessment of the Republican setbacks. Annie Andrews became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state in more than 20 years. Her victory also made her the first woman South Carolina voters had elected to the Senate.

In Florida, Republican Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon in the U.S. Senate race. Shapiro, who identified Florida as his home state, criticized Nixon and said during the broadcast that she was on course to lose by about two points. He emphasized how narrowly the state had remained Republican.

“It’s a wipeout for Republicans,” Shapiro said. Looking at the results across the electoral map, he argued that the party’s performance also presented an unfavorable sign for 2028.