Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia offered a bleak assessment of Republicans’ prospects for regaining the Senate in 2028 after last week’s midterm elections handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress. His comments came as Republican leaders began assessing the scale of their losses and the message voters had delivered.
Democrats flipped eight Senate seats held by Republicans, taking their caucus to 55 seats after Scott Colom was projected on Wednesday to win the Mississippi Senate race. That total could rise further in Alaska, where Democrat Mary Peltola held a narrow lead. The results left Republicans confronting a substantial Democratic majority as they looked toward the next federal election.
“You can forget 2028. Absolutely,” Justice told the Washington Examiner. He also expressed concern that Republicans could lose the presidency in the next election, describing the midterm outcome as a blow of extraordinary magnitude for the country. His assessment reflected the depth of concern within the party following its defeats.
Justice was among several prominent Republicans who attributed the losses partly to the war in Iran and the resulting surge in fuel prices. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota also pointed to the conflict as a factor. AAA put the national average gasoline price at about $3.94 a gallon on Wednesday, compared with $3.07 a year earlier, an increase of nearly 90 cents.
Thune told reporters earlier this week that the election had fallen short of Republican hopes. He said the party needed to absorb the lessons of the outcome and understand what Americans were communicating through their votes. His remarks emphasized the need for Republicans to examine the reasons behind their losses.
Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, selected to lead the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 2028 cycle, similarly called for accountability. Drawing on his experience in automobile retailing, Moreno said customers punish businesses that fail to listen. He argued that Republicans needed to accept responsibility for their performance and learn from it.
The outcome echoed the 2006 midterms, when anger over a Middle East war and scrutiny of President George W. Bush’s leadership helped shape major Republican defeats. Democrats gained 31 House seats and six Senate seats that year, reclaiming both chambers. In 2008, they expanded those majorities and won the presidency with Barack Obama.
