Leave it to Republicans to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. With an unpopular Democratic president in the White House and that president's party torn by the difficult decision over whether to back victims of murderous terrorism, the GOP still managed to take a thumping in off-year elections. Stumbling once again over the issues of abortion, former President Donald Trump, and a general gloss of nuttiness, GOP candidates can't get out of their own way.
Across the country, Republicans who saw victory within reach turned in generally underwhelming performances Tuesday. As in last year's mid-term elections, they struggled in the shadow of the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and making abortion a political issue once again. Like a dog finally catching a car, they found themselves burdened by their achievement.
