Change in Texas could 'shape the US presidential election', says analyst Eric Ham

The 2026 midterms will go down as one of the most sweeping repudiations of a sitting president in modern American history. Republican losses were so deep, so wide, so everywhere that it would be weird to see this as anything but a massive repudiation of Trump, his agenda, his style, his rhetoric, and his presidency. Republicans are left with two more years of riding a very unpopular leader managing a very unpopular war. Will this kill the party of Reagan and Bush for years to come? Joining me now from Washington is political analyst and best-selling author Eric Ham. Good morning to you. It's good to be here. Thanks so much for having me. So, Trump lost much of his power and influence, but a trapped and embarrassed Trump could be even more unpredictable. How do you think he's going to react? That is a really good question. We do know that President Donald Trump already is coming across as conciliatory. However, as you say, he does have two years left in office and we know President Donald Trump likes to be the center of attention. And so I think he will use these last two years to do everything he can to make sure that he is at the forefront, even if it is for good or even for bad Republicans in Congress will be a mostly old and mostly white minority caucus facing a younger and more diverse Democratic majority. Are Republicans now staring down potentially years of political insignificance? Well, look, if you go back to 2024, President Donald Trump made tremendous strides and inroads with African-American voters, Latino voters, and young people. Those were seen as the third rail of politics that were always seen as no-go zones for Republicans. However, President Donald Trump was able to... Break into those into those key communities. And many thought that that would lay the groundwork for a generation of new Republicans to cement their gains for years to come. However, we see just two years later, Democrats have actually clawed those gains back. And what it makes clear is these are voters that are up for grabs and what people want more than anything are results. And look, now we're heading into the all important 2028 presidential election. Where the White House now is in line. And so voters have to make, I mean, so these lawmakers now are on the, they are auditioning for that and they have to actually make gains in order to keep those voters in line. Eric, let's talk about Texas for a second. Where Republicans lost the races for senator, governor, attorney general, lieutenant governor, even railroad commissioner and numerous congressional seats. What does this tell us about the presidential election in 2028? Well, many now believe that Texas could be in play. We're talking in an electoral rich state that has always been the anchor of Republican presidential politics. Now, if Democrats can actually flip Texas and they believe that they can, this could actually shape the presidential election and put a massive, massive number of electoral votes in the hands of Democrats. But Republicans are not going to go down without a fight. I think they are going to do everything they can to actually swing Texas back. But again, it will depend largely on how the new governor and, of course, a new Democratic-controlled Congress responds to economic anxiety throughout the country.