Key facts
- DeSantis said the losses would hurt beyond the next two years and could reverberate for a decade or more.
- Democrats flipped long-held Republican seats in Iowa, Kansas and Texas, according to Politico.
- Florida Republicans won both statewide races by closer than expected margins, according to Politico.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on November 4, 2026 that the Republican Party's midterm election losses were close to an extinction-level event for Republicans across the country, speaking at a press conference in Tallahassee.
"Let's just be clear, that is going to hurt, not just for the next two years," DeSantis said. "That is something that can reverberate for the next decade or more. We knew it could be worse. I don't think most of us thought it would be this bad."
Democrats won control of Congress in the November 3, 2026 elections, flipping seats in long-held Republican strongholds including Iowa, Kansas and Texas, according to Politico. Florida was a rare red state where Republicans were not heavily defeated, winning its two statewide races by closer than expected margins, the report said.