Will Republicans dump Trump after his endorsed candidates lose

Donald Trump faces harsh criticism from Republicans who blame the controversial former president for their poorer-than-expected performance in the midterm elections.

The GOP kingmaker approved about 300 candidates, held 30 rallies and raised millions of dollars in hopes of demonstrating his continued MAGA influence that could lead to a new White House bid.

But many of his favorite candidates have failed to win seats while Congressional control is still up for grabs, which is a big boost for Joe Biden.

Erick Erickson, a longtime GOP commentator, told the Washington Post: ‘Candidate quality is important.

“They weren’t good candidates. They had more loyalty to him than to anything else. The GOP can still win both [chambers] but this is not the night they expected.’

Bill Palatucci, a member of the New Jersey Republican National Committee, said, “Trump candidates were a barrier to the party and the coverage of all of our candidates.

“We had to constantly distance ourselves from their support of the former president.”

Trump’s picks lost high-stakes games in Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Hampshire.

After summoning reporters and his staunchest supporters to a viewing party at his Mar-a-Lago club, he ended the evening without a triumphant speech.

Nevertheless, he took to his social media platform to insist that he had “A GREAT EVENING.”

In the biggest shock of the night, Dr. Oz, who had been supported by Trump in the primaries, lost to Democrat John Fetterman in the Pennsylvania Senate race.

Fetterman had been questioned about his eligibility for office after suffering a stroke just days before the state primaries, yet he defeated TV’s Dr. Oz with a major rebuke to Trump.

Former NFL star Herschel Walker, who was heavily backed by Trump, is in a too close-to-call race in Georgia and could face a run-off.

Democrats also held a crucial Senate seat in New Hampshire, where incumbent Maggie Hassan defeated Republican Don Bolduc, a retired army general who promoted Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.

Pro-Trump House candidates JR Majewski in Ohio, Karoline Leavitt in New Hampshire and Yesli Vega in Virginia were also rejected by voters.

It wasn’t all bleak for Trump as he helped Republican Senate candidates to victory in Ohio and North Carolina.

JD Vance, the bestselling author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” defeated 10-year-old Congressman Tim Ryan, while Representative Ted Budd defeated Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court.

But many Republicans who supported his failed efforts to undo the 2020 election have lost key races to oversee elections in some competitive states.

Doug Mastriano, the GOP nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, lost to Democrat Josh Shapiro on election night.

Mastraiano was seen outside the Capitol on the day of the January 6 uprising and regularly communicated with Trump as the then president tried to reverse his loss to Joe Biden.

The governor of the state appoints the secretary of state, who is the highest-ranking voting officer.

In Minnesota, Republican Kim Crockett, who repeated some of Trump’s lies about voting, lost her bid for secretary of state, which is the position overseeing state elections in most states.

In Michigan, Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson declared victory over Kristina Karamo, a community college instructor who became one of the most prominent election conspirators in the country.

And in New Mexico, Republican Audrey Trujillo, who cheered Trump’s attempt to roll back voters’ will in 2020, lost to Democratic Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver.

Races in Arizona and Nevada, big swing states where election conspirators competed for positions of secretaries of state, stayed too early to call.

But many proponents of democracy and democrats were applauded by the first results on political battlefields.

“In the end, some voters probably chose candidates because they wanted to tell the truth and protect the integrity of the election,” said Ben LaBolt, a Democratic strategist.

Still, some electoral conspirators in Republican states did win secretary of state.

All told, half of the 22 Republicans vying to become secretary of state — and oversee elections in most states — have repeated Trump’s election lies. Seven endorsed his efforts to overthrow the will of the people and remain in power.

As a further blow to Trump’s presidential ambitions, Ron DeSantis won decisively over Charlie Crist.

The vote ended at 7 p.m. and the margin of victory — at least 17 points — was so great that the Associated Press declared the race in just over an hour.

Early Wednesday morning, he had a 19.4 lead with 99 percent of the vote counted, marking a landslide.

After securing a second term, 44-year-old DeSantis has confirmed his position as a Republican Party star and a possible 2024 candidate.

In his victory speech, he described the battles he fought in the first term as COVID-19 closed the country and culture wars erupted.

“We saw freedom and our way of life wither on the vine in so many other jurisdictions in this country. Florida held the line,” he cheered.

‘We chose facts over fear; we chose education over indoctrination.’

Those were the arguments that brought him to the national scene. And the magnitude and nature of his victory — rallying votes in the former Democratic stronghold of Miami-Dade — will enthuse supporters with one eye on the White House.

The 44-year-old often tops the polls of who Republicans would like to run to the White House in 2024 — if former President Donald Trump sits out.

Trump, for his part, sees the danger and has fired shots in front of the governor.

At a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Trump revealed a new nickname for him: “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

And on Monday, he made a veiled threat.

“I don’t know if he’s running. I think if he runs, he can hurt himself badly, I do believe he can seriously hurt himself,” Trump said.

He hinted that he was ready to go on the offensive with personal details.

“But if he ran away, I could tell you things about him that aren’t very flattering. I know more about him than maybe his wife – who is really into his campaign.