Republican Senate candidates directly nominated and heavily backed by President Donald Trump have suffered successive defeats in the U.S. midterm elections.
Analysts suggest that the election strategy of putting "Trump loyalists" at the forefront, despite intra-party opposition, faced a backlash as it was met with voters' harsh judgment over high inflation and economic hardship.
In Texas, traditionally classified as a Republican stronghold and a firmly secure region, State Attorney General Ken Paxton—whom President Trump directly supported in the primaries instead of incumbent Senator John Cornyn—lost to the Democratic candidate.
This marks the first time in 38 years since 1988 that the Democratic Party has won a Senate seat in Texas.
The election results in South Carolina also caused major shockwaves.
Following the death last July of former Senator Lindsey Graham, a core confidant of President Trump and a heavyweight in Republican foreign policy and security, President Trump pushed for Lindsey's sister, Darlene Graham, as the candidate despite opposition from within the party.
However, they lost the seat to Democratic candidate Annie Andrews in this election.
South Carolina has also been a steadfast Republican stronghold, having not produced a Democratic senator since the 2000s.
In addition, Trump confidant Michael Whatley was defeated in North Carolina, and Mike Collins also lost his bid in Georgia.
The Republican camp launched an all-out effort, spending more than twice as much on advertising as the Democrats, but it fell short of turning around public sentiment worsened by the pressure of high inflation and the fallout from the war in Iran.
As the contours of the defeat emerged, President Trump distanced himself from the defeated candidates, stating, "If I had run myself, it would have been a landslide." However, the successive defeats in traditional Republican strongholds are expected to place a considerable burden on President Trump's leadership within the party and his momentum for governance.
Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Lee Da-in | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
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