Republicans are arguing over what comes next after the voting alliance that carried Donald Trump to three presidential nominations broke apart in the 2026 midterms.

The party lost the House and the Senate, and also surrendered governorships and legislatures in states such as Texas and Kansas, places where Trump himself had won by wide margins. Ron DeSantis, the outgoing governor of Florida, called the result close to an extinction level event for Republicans. Vice President JD Vance blamed public anger over the war with Iran and said a period of infighting was inevitable, while arguing that the party could still recover.

Over the past decade most Republicans have moved right on immigration and turned away from the interventionist foreign policy associated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The more moderate wing of the party in Congress has almost vanished. This year even long serving figures who had clashed with Trump, including John Cornyn in Texas and Susan Collins in Maine, lost their seats.

Three days after the vote Trump named Stephen Miller, the architect of his hardline immigration policy, as White House chief of staff in place of Susie Wiles, a sign that he does not intend to soften his approach. Steve Bannon, a leading voice of the Maga movement, predicted a civil war inside the party, blamed the economy and foreign wars for the defeat, and urged Trump to intensify mass deportations. Another strategist argued that loyal Trump voters remain numerous but that a non Maga majority now exists inside the party.

An analysis of voter data found that Latino support for Democratic candidates rose by 29 percentage points between 2024 and 2026, while support among voters aged 18 to 29 rose by 33 points. Those swings match polling that showed deep discontent with Trump's record on prices, immigration and the Iran war, as well as a sense that he was more interested in building projects such as a White House ballroom than in living costs.

Before the midterms Vance was widely seen as the favourite for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. Strategists now say that race is wide open. Other names mentioned include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Senator Ted Cruz, DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Chris Christie. Trump's endorsement, if he offers one, is likely to weigh heavily.