Trump's Hand-Picked Candidates Lose Winnable Senate Races

Tuesday's midterm election might be best defined in the immediate aftermath by what it wasn't -- a wave or a tsunami, or really much of anything sweeping predictions thought it would be, ABC reported.

It also wasn't at all what just about any Republican thought it would be. But, as the GOP tallies its disappointments with only modest gains and a few bitter losses, one throughline was -- as it always seems to be -- reactions to Trump.

Trump's Senate candidate in Georgia so badly underperformed the incumbent Republican governor -- whom Trump tried and failed to defeat -- that control of the Senate could again come down to a runoff there.

Other notable candidates favored by the former president went down in places including Michigan and North Carolina. And Democrats managed to elect or reelect governors in the blue-wall Midwestern states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan -- key presidential battlegrounds that Trump won once and then lost.

All of this came despite the rough history of presidential midterms, despite Biden's low approval ratings and despite double-digit inflation and a host of other angst-driving challenges facing Americans. It also came just as Trump himself tried to place himself in the center of the action, with extended teases about what's next for him.

Trump memorably promised Republicans so much winning that they'd be sick of it by now. Three straight national elections -- two midterms and a general -- have demonstrated a firm anti-MAGA majority.

No shortage of Republicans made the calculation that, at least in the short term, they can't win without Trump inside their tent. Now they'll be pondering whether they can win with him.

While there was a slew of candidates on the ballot that could have made history, far fewer crossed that threshold with election night wins.

In Massachusetts, Maura Healy became the first woman elected Governor in that state. Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul became the first women elected to lead Arkansas and New York, respectively (Hochul first stepped into the role after a sexual misconduct scandal drove former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign).

Vermont was the only state that hadn't elected a woman to represent its residents in Congress, until Tuesday. Becca Balint will serve in the state's at-large congressional seat. Katie Britt will be the first woman to represent Alabama in the US Senate.

The House of Representatives will welcome its first Gen Z congressman in Maxwell Frost of Florida. Frost, a former organizer for March for Our Lives, will represent the state's 10th district.

Wes Moore will be Maryland's first Black governor. Stacey Abrams and Deidre Dejear fell short against GOP incumbents in Georgia and Iowa in their bids to become the first Black women elected governor ever. Rep. Val Demings and Cheri Beasley also lost their Senate bids which means there will still be no Black women in the US Senate.

With several key races outstanding, more historic election results are possible.

The early aftermath of the 2022 midterm elections laid bare voters' focus on abortion access. In California, Michigan and Vermont, voters affirmed enshrining abortion rights into state constitutions.

In Michigan, Trump-endorsed Republican Tudor Dixon lost a gubernatorial race, while 2020 election denier Kristina Karamo lost her Trump-backed bid for secretary of state, NBC projected.

In Arizona, Kari Lake, a former newscaster turned gubernatorial candidate who is one of Trump’s most high-profile proteges, trailed Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs early Wednesday morning in a race that NBC considered too early to call. Trump-endorsed Senate hopeful Blake Masters, who is challenging Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, also lagged in a race that NBC said was too early to call.

To be sure, Trump also had some big wins on Tuesday. Ohio Republican Senate hopeful J.D. Vance defeated Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan to win one of the country’s most hotly contested seats, according to NBC.

In North Carolina, Trump-backed Republican Senate candidate Ted Budd defeated Democrat Cheri Beasley, NBC projected. In deep red Alabama, the heavily favored Republican, Katie Britt, also won her Senate seat.

Trump took a shot at the Florida governor just days earlier, calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious” at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. While Trump declined to endorse DeSantis, however, the Florida resident told reporters that he cast his ballot for the incumbent on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Trump had told the streaming service NewsNation that he was ready to accept credit for Republican wins, but not blame for their defeats.

But being on defense is not where Trump had hoped to be following the midterms.

But being on defense is not where Trump had hoped to be following the midterms.

Over the weekend, Trump suggested he will announce his third run for president on Nov. 15, a decision he reached only after seriously considering whether to announce his campaign on Monday night.

How Trump will spin the disappointing results Tuesday into fuel for his 2024 campaign narrative remains to be seen.

A Trump spokesman did not respond to questions early Wednesday morning from CNBC about whether Tuesday’s results would affect the former president’s 2024 launch plans.

But one of Trump’s enduring traits as both a businessman and a politician has been his ability to pull himself out of seemingly dire situations, and turn tough luck to his benefit.