# Ben Shapiro Says 2026 Midterms Were “A Wipeout for Republicans”: “The President Was Kind of on the Ballot”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ben-shapiro-says-2026-midterms-were-a-wipeout-for-republicans-the-president-was-kind-of-on-the-ballot/
- Published: 2026-11-04T05:38:49+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T04:52:18+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hollywood Reporter
- Original article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/ben-shapiro-2026-midterms-wipeout-republicans-president-ballot-1236747358/
- Topics: Elections, Government, Politics

## Key points

- Shapiro called the midterms a Republican wipeout.
- He said Trump was effectively on the ballot.
- Democratic wins across several states fuelled his assessment.

## Summary

Ben Shapiro said early results in the 2026 midterm elections amounted to a Republican wipeout and suggested President Donald Trump had effectively been on the ballot. He argued the pattern across several states pointed to broader Republican losses, rather than defeats caused only by weak candidates, and could bode poorly for the party in 2028.

Speaking on the All-In podcast on Tuesday night, before some major races had been called, Shapiro cited Democratic wins in Texas and South Carolina and a close Republican hold in Florida. The article reports James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton in Texas, Gina Hinojosa beat Greg Abbott for governor, and Annie Andrews won South Carolina’s Senate race; in Florida, Republican Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon by about two points.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.