The initial surprise within the Republican Party over the shocking results of the election on Tuesday night (local time) soon turned into anger against US President Donald Trump.
The Democratic Party also registered unexpected victories one after the other in those states like Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, which are considered strongholds of the Republican Party.
After this, some Republican leaders held Trump responsible for the defeat.
He said that Trump was focused on building his legacy and ignored the concerns of the voters. The party had to pay the price for this.
Bill Miller, a senior Texas Republican lobbyist, told the BBC: "The onus is on them, not anyone else. This is a complete and clear repudiation of President Trump. This is a disaster of the greatest magnitude. No one expected the outcome to be like this."
Most Republican leaders already expected that they would lose their majority in the House of Representatives.
He also anticipated that it would be challenging to maintain the majority in the Senate in a difficult electoral environment. In such elections, usually the party outside power gets the advantage.
But some Republican leaders said in interviews that Trump's unpopular policies, his low approval ratings and his obsession with construction projects in Washington have increased the party's troubles.
Minnesota Republican strategist Greg Pepin said, "One mistake after another happened. It's clear that people in different states did not like the president's policies."
A White House aide said public anger toward Trump over the Iran war, tariffs and the administration's strict immigration policy increased the party's troubles in November.
"There is clear anger within the party about how this all happened," he said. According to him, a large part of this anger is towards Trump and the anger against him is "extreme".
The BBC spoke to a dozen party leaders, campaign officials, White House aides and others. Many of these people, on the condition of not revealing their identities, gave a frank assessment of Trump's election strategy.
Both Trump and the Republican Party had a lot at stake on these results. If the President's party had performed better, as it did in 2022, it could have got some lead before the 2028 presidential elections. In 2022, then President Joe Biden's Democratic Party lost only nine seats in the House of Representatives and also gained one seat in the Senate.
But now Trump will have to face a Democratic majority in Congress that is ready to investigate the administration, block his judicial appointments and obstruct the rest of his agenda.
The results of the midterm elections have started an uncertain new phase in Trump's second term. Due to this, the Republican Party may also have to consider its future after Trump.
Steve Scheffler, the national committeeman of the Republican Party in Iowa, said a day before the election, "I don't think Trump's influence is waning." However, he said that in the case of the midterm elections, "there were some things that you wish Trump would have said differently."
Trump remained silent most of the time on election night. After the victory of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives and the Senate was declared, he made a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Trump wrote, "I was not in the election field. If I had been, we would have won with an overwhelming majority."
Later in interviews with The New York Times and Fox News, he said that he would accept the results of the election.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said he was "a little surprised" by the election results, but noted that the president's party typically fares poorly in midterm elections.
Since 1934, this has happened only three times in midterm elections, when the President's party has increased its seats in the White House.
The Democratic Party's lead in 2026 did not set any records, but it won the House of Representatives, state governorships and dozens of Senate seats. These also include states where the party was not in electoral contest for decades.
Before Tuesday's election, the Democratic Party had not won a Senate seat in Kansas since 1932.
At the same time, in Texas the party had not won any statewide election for more than three decades.
The party also registered unexpected victories in other states like South Carolina, which are traditionally considered strongholds of the Republican Party. Till a few weeks before the elections, the seats of these states were considered safe for the Republican Party.
Before the midterm elections, Trump and Vice President JD Vance held dozens of election rallies. MAGA Inc., the main super PAC led by people close to Trump, spent millions of dollars in support of Republican candidates.
However, Trump's allies said that it is not right to hold him responsible for the party's defeat in the elections. He cited old trends of midterm elections. Also said that the Republican Party had to suffer the loss of weak candidates in important states like Georgia, Michigan and Texas.
Another Texas Republican leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the party's Senate candidate Ken Paxton "ran the worst campaign in the country in either party."
He said, "I would be surprised if Kane's election campaign reached one lakh homes and canvassed."
He also said that James Tallarico, the Democratic candidate who defeated Paxton, "ran a very good and intelligent campaign."
Some people also defended Trump's election program. He said that Trump had to strike a balance between the responsibility of running the country as President and campaigning for the midterm elections.
Michigan Republican Party Youth Chair Krishna Mathrani said, "He is the President. He cannot be expected to remain engaged in election campaigning day and night."
According to Mathrani, Trump's election rallies increased enthusiasm among Republican voters. "President Trump is an expert at getting people out to vote," he said.
This proves true in presidential elections. But Trump's election machinery, which is considered very effective in bringing voters to the polling booths, has not been successful in those elections in which Trump himself is not a candidate. The elections of 2026 were also no different.
Voters rejected Trump's argument that the economy has improved during his tenure and that America is achieving its objectives in the war with Iran.
Trump also tried to portray the Democratic Party as staunch socialists, but his strategy did not work. Voters gave victory to liberal candidates like Roy Cooper in North Carolina.
An official associated with Cooper's election campaign said, "This ploy did not work in Cooper's case. The attempt to portray him as a socialist liberal was not going to succeed."
During the summer, Trump often did not appear interested in the midterm elections. This was the same time when the leaders of the Republican Party in the US Parliament started focusing their attention on the elections.
During that time, Trump's focus was on the war with Iran abroad and his plans for construction and renewal in Washington at home. These projects included the construction of the White House Ballroom and helipad on its South Lawn, renovation of the local golf course, the proposed Memorial Arch near Arlington Cemetery, and renovation of the Kennedy Center.
Several people told the BBC that events like the UFC bout at the White House on Trump's 80th birthday in June sent the message that the president was more interested in celebrating than winning the midterm elections.
Trump also repeatedly underestimated the rising prices of petrol. He often described raising the issue of rising inflation and expenditure among the people as a lie spread by the Democratic Party.
Trump began paying close attention to the election at the Republican Party's midterm convention in September. Organizing this conference was a risky decision. The Republican Party had not held such a convention for midterm elections in decades. It was also not clear whether voters would be interested in it or not.
Trump dominated this conference held in Dallas. This angered some Republican Party leaders. He told the BBC that he wanted the party's midterm candidates to get more space at the conference.
In his long and meandering keynote speech, Trump promised to give $ 5,000 (about Rs 4 lakh 70 thousand) to every person who voted for Republican candidates. While supporting Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton, he also criticized him. Trump commented at length on Paxton's lack of charisma in personality and his physical appearance. People expressed surprise at this.
Texas Republican National Committeeman Robin Armstrong said of Trump's comments about Paxton, "Obviously, it never helps." He further said, "You can't stop what President Trump says. We just have to live with it."
This conference did not get many viewers on TV. The Democratic Party also did not delay in calling it a failure.
"It backfired for the Republican Party because no one paid attention to it," said Terri Burke, executive director of the Texas Democratic Party.
Even during the campaign in the last few weeks before the elections, Trump often deviated from his fixed message. He came into limelight for praising the physical appearance of Ohio's Republican senator John Husted. At the same time, he was criticized for calling Democratic candidate Abdul Al-Sayed a "jihadi" in the Michigan Senate election.
The Democratic Party made this agreement and other controversies related to the White House the issue of their campaign to regain control of Parliament. Ultimately, its message reached the voters and the party won a clear majority in both houses of Parliament.
Another White House aide said the president's political advisers remained optimistic about victory until the final days of the election, when it was becoming clear the party was headed for defeat.
Now, amidst the review of the defeat in the elections, many leaders of the Republican Party have said that they want to focus on preparations for the 2028 presidential elections.
Steve Scheffler, Republican National Committeeman in Iowa, said, "Whether it's JD Vance, Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz, we have many good options. The race will be wide open."
Republican strategist Greg Pepin said the results of the midterm elections show the party needs a new direction.
He said, "I have full hope that we have left the Trump era behind and there will be new faces, new issues and new priorities in the party."
