Hannity Calls GOP Midterm Losses Normal Despite Historic Scale
On November 9, Sean Hannity said the Republican losses in the midterms were not unusual, citing past elections in which presidents’ parties lost seats. He named administrations including those of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan as examples of substantial midterm setbacks for the president’s party.
The results described in the reports include Democrats gaining roughly 44 or 45 House seats, with Republicans on track to lose more than 40. Democrats had also gained seven Senate seats, with possible further wins in Alaska and Mississippi that could bring their total to nine. Harry Enten said a House swing of that size had not occurred since 1948.
Democrats won Senate races in Texas, South Carolina and Kansas, among other states. Their Kansas victory was the party’s first Senate pickup there in 94 years, while Texas elected Democrat James Talarico. Hannity had offered a different explanation on election night, saying the Iran war had hurt Republicans and pointing to higher gas prices, voters’ response to some immigration enforcement tactics, and a failure to feel the benefits of Trump’s economic agenda.
Republicans entered Election Day controlling the House, Senate and White House. The results leave President Donald Trump facing a Democratic Congress for the remaining two years of his term. Enten said the Senate results could be unprecedented if Democrats hold their leads in Alaska and Mississippi.
Hannity Tries to Shrink a Historic Republican Defeat
Sean Hannity’s effort to portray the Republican midterm defeat as routine glossed over the scale of the Democrats’ gains. On November 9, he pointed to past presidents whose parties lost seats, but the reported results put Democrats on track for a House gain of about 44 or 45 seats and a Senate pickup of at least seven.
The shift reached states Republicans had long counted on. Democrats won Senate contests in Texas, South Carolina and Kansas, with a possible total of nine Senate pickups if they hold leads in Alaska and Mississippi. Kansas had not elected a Democratic senator in 94 years, and Texas chose James Talarico. Harry Enten said a House swing of this size had not been seen since 1948.
Hannity himself had acknowledged on election night that the Iran war was a major liability for Republicans. He also cited higher gas prices, voter discomfort with some immigration enforcement tactics and the failure of voters to feel the benefits of Trump’s economic agenda. Those concerns—and the breadth of the results—are harder to dismiss as ordinary political turnover.
Republicans began Election Day controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House. They now face a Democratic Congress for the final two years of Trump’s term. Calling the defeat normal does not change the stakes of that loss.
Hannity Puts GOP Losses in Midterm Context
Midterm elections have often punished the party occupying the White House, and Sean Hannity made that historical point on November 9. He cited losses under presidents including Obama, Clinton and Reagan, arguing that a severe setback for Republicans was not without precedent.
The current results are substantial: Democrats are on track to gain roughly 44 or 45 House seats, and have gained seven Senate seats, with two more possible in Alaska and Mississippi. Democrats also won Senate races in Texas, South Carolina and Kansas, including a Texas victory by James Talarico. Harry Enten said a House swing this large had last occurred in 1948.
Hannity had acknowledged on election night that the Iran war, higher gas prices and some immigration enforcement tactics may have hurt Republicans. He also said voters’ failure to feel the benefits of Trump’s economic agenda was a problem. Those factors offer a more specific account of the result than treating it simply as a verdict on every part of the Republican agenda.
Republicans entered Election Day controlling Congress and the White House, and now face a Democratic Congress for Trump’s final two years. Hannity’s comparison with earlier midterms does not erase the size of the current losses, but it places them within the broader history of midterm setbacks.
Reported by The Daily Beast, Daily Kos.
