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A few days ago, two Republican thorns in the side of President Donald Trump, in the form of Sen. Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, and Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, was eliminated in his primaries by GOP voters and by very healthy margins. But this is much more than Trump.
Across the country, the pressing issue for many Republican voters I speak to is simple. They said, “We gave the party the House, the Senate, and the White House, so why wouldn’t a famous piece of legislation like the Save America Act pass?”
In other words, what’s the point of electing Republicans if they’re not going to do anything?
The incidents of killings in office so far are terrible and historic. Not only did Cassidy gain support, his GOP Senate colleague John Cornyn of Texas also came close to losing, even before Trump endorsed his rival Ken Paxton on Tuesday. And longtime anti-Trumper Mitch McConnell has retired from politics, likely ceding his position to a Trump nominee.
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To put this in perspective, since 1950, the only time a party has lost more than one senator in a major challenge was the Democrats in 1980, and three, and boy, was it a bad year for them.
US Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) walks the halls of the US Capitol on February 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. T (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
In Massie’s case, he went from consistently winning primaries by 50 points to losing by an embarrassing 10 points. Turns out Kentucky voters cared more about getting laws passed than anti-Israel views.
Meanwhile, in Texas, Rep. The often-crazy and philandering Dan Crenshaw was given his pink slip for the election, after years as a celebrity and big name, and this was not without Trump’s endorsement of the race.
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In Indiana, a slate of longtime state representatives lost their GOP primary battles for failing to redistrict their state in favor of the Republicans.
Even those in office with Trump’s most significant approval ratings are getting a dismal message from voters.
In West Virginia last week, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito won a non-competitive primary against a no-name challenger with 66% of the vote. That may sound good, but in 2020, as a participant, you got 83%. He dropped 20 points despite his non-stop ads about his Trump endorsement.
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There is a political earthquake happening among GOP voters, but the party’s leadership, especially in the Senate, may be in a hot air balloon, fascinated by the idea, not feeling the tremors turn into torrents.
Republican US Representative Dan Crenshaw speaks during an exhibition hosted by TerraFlow in Houston on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
It is worth noting that the incumbents come from all sides of the political spectrum. Sure, Cornyn and Cassidy can be called RINOs, but Massie can’t, and it shows the voters’ frustration isn’t psychological, it’s practical.
GOP voters don’t want to hear about the principles or integrity of their elected officials, they want to know why nothing is being done except for a weird reconciliation bill.
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Take Cornyn. As his primary party headed into the race against Paxton, Trump made it clear as day that he would endorse Cornyn if the Senate filibustered and impeached.
Is it any wonder that Republican voters are taking their anger to the primary polls? With GOP control of Congress, the White House, and a conservative Supreme Court, when will there be better conditions to fulfill voter priorities?
How many elections do the Republicans need to win before they can be in power?
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The problem with conventional wisdom is that this CVS admission of a GOP primary loss hinges on Trump’s ability to erase the voter’s voice. Trump listens to that voice, not orders it.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., leaves to speak to the media after the House voted 427-1 to approve the Epstein Files Transparency Act and the release of documents and files at the US Capitol on Nov, 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
There are many in the Republican establishment who have been waiting for Trump to get out, hoping that once his power to hold voters is broken, they will be the keepers of the quiet country club again. Fat possibilities.
The 2026 midterms have now become a revolt against voters from Republicans that can be talked about in the same breath as the Tea Party, and will go a long way in determining what the Trump GOP looks like.
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Trump is the most important political figure in American politics, but he is not the sun, the moon and the stars. They are voters, and it is by their lights that the president sails the ship of state.
The message to Republican incumbents this cycle is clear: Don’t tell us your philosophy and don’t mess with the president. Just tell us what you’re going to do, and how.
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