Trump lost the Senate—and made the loss his own.

GOP Leader John Thune worked to protect the majority, backing candidates he thought could win. Trump overruled him at every turn, most notably in Texas, backing Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn.

Then Trump made other races a loyalty test. And Graham lost South Carolina, Whatley lost North Carolina; Collins lost Georgia; Sununu lost New Hampshire.

The economy and Iran mattered, too. But Trump chose the fights, demanded the loyalty, and left Thune to defend the wreckage. Now he gets the blame.

[Read our real-time thread as we watched history being made] –> “It’s 6 p.m. Eastern. The first polls are closing, and we’re watching for the early returns that could tell us whether a blue wave is building—or whether we’re looking at something bigger.”

Share what you’re seeing, gloat if you’re winning, whine if you’re losing, follow the night with us right here.

Exit Polls (includes early voters)…
Trump Approval 38%
Disapprove 62%

Top 3 Issues:
Economy
Democracy
Immigration

Attribution: Election Day by Bob Englehart

Bob Englehart was the editorial cartoonist for the Hartford Courant for 35 years when his job was eliminated by the hedge fund that bought the newspaper. Before that, he worked for Chicago Today, the Journal-Gazette in Ft. Wayne, IN and the Journal Herald in Dayton, OH. He studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago on scholarship. His progressive editorial cartoons have been distributed all over the world by CagleCartoons.com for nearly 20 years.

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The knowns and unknowns of campaign 2026

Even with our democracy at risk, no one can predict the election outcome

by David Horsey

Wiki: David Horsey is a prominent U.S. editorial cartoonist recognized for incisive political commentary. He has worked for major newspapers including the Seattle Post‑Intelligencer (1979–2011), the Los Angeles Times (2011–2018), and later The Seattle Times.

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Some Sunday Jazz for your enjoyment

A playlist starting off election week with an appropriate Jazz composition by the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Ballot Box Bounce. Then followed by several other of my jazz favorites that just seem right for a November morning.

Enjoy, Jack

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Attribution: Campaign anxiety by John Darkow, Columbia Missourian

John Darkow has been a professional cartoonist for over 20 years, spending the last 10 as the staff cartoonist at the Columbia Daily Tribune. He is syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons.