Katz blames GOP blunders, not trends, for midterm losses

Tony Katz argued Wednesday that Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress due to self-inflicted errors rather than historical inevitability. Speaking on Hot Air with Ed Morrissey, Katz stated that the party in power chose its defeat through poor candidate selections and strategic mistakes.

Katz pointed to the race in South Carolina as a primary example. He noted that Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews won 51 percent of the vote. Katz said this result was driven by President Trump pushing Darlene Graham Nordone into the race over other, more established alternatives. "This is not a race that should have been lost by Republicans. I think they chose to lose it," Katz said.

The losses extended beyond the South. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton with 55 percent of the vote to 43 percent. In the same state, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Governor Greg Abbott. Despite these losses for the Republican party, voters in several states approved conservative ballot measures by wide margins.

Katz observed that these ballot results indicate voters were punishing the party in power for inflation and gas prices, not embracing progressive ideology. He cited specific measures, including constitutional voter ID protections in Ohio and citizenship voting mandates in Kansas. These wins suggest the electorate remained conservative on policy while rejecting the Republican congressional slate.

Katz criticized President Trump for his post-election messaging. He described Trump’s initial call for voters to "vote like I’m on the ballot" as a terrible idea. Katz called Trump’s subsequent claim that he was not on the ballot an equally terrible move. He warned that this contradictory approach will accelerate the fracturing of the president's coalition.

"I’ve already stated that the post-Trump era has begun for all these candidates," Katz said. He added that the deflection will lead to increased criticism from within the party. "And wait till you see what people start saying about Trump," he said.

Katz also commented on the actions of the newly empowered Democrats. He noted that they did not wait a full day after the election to begin issuing subpoenas. Katz cited Senator Ron Wyden and incoming House leaders as figures who moved quickly toward what he described as political payback. "They didn’t wait 24 hours to say the retribution is here," Katz said. "The revenge and the viciousness is the goal and is everything."