Trump: GOP Would Have Won 'Landslide' If He Was on Midterm Ballot

President Donald Trump declared that Republicans would have cruised to victory in the 2026 midterms if he had been on the ballot, according to the New York Post ^[1]. The former president’s assertion came as the GOP reeled from an electoral bloodbath described as worse than the 2018 losses during his first administration.

“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, per the New York Post ^[1]. His comments underscored the tension within the party as they faced significant defeats across the board.

One of the most notable losses occurred in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, where Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeated Republican incumbent Thomas H. Kean Jr. The Independent reported that Bennett, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, flipped the seat by focusing on voter discontent over rising prices and calling for an end to the Iran war ^[2].

Kean had been identified as the most vulnerable Republican in New Jersey’s congressional delegation. His defeat followed a months-long absence from Congress, during which he missed more than 100 votes. The Independent noted that Kean disclosed his struggle with depression this summer, stating, “It is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be” ^[2].

The district, which includes Trump’s Bedminster golf club, has shifted parties in each of the last two midterm elections. Trump won the area by 1.2 percentage points in 2024, according to The Independent ^[2]. Despite his recent victory in the district, Trump’s absence from the midterm ballot appears to have contributed to the GOP’s struggles, as he continues to frame the losses as a reflection of his own electoral power rather than party-wide weakness.