Republicans Point Fingers After Election Losses, but Not at Trump NYT | Top Stories Lisa Lerer and Reid J. Epstein 6 November 2025 at 07:57 Casting around for culprits, leaders in the party blamed their candidates, the government shutdown and a weak economic message. © Haiyun Jiang/The New York TimesRepublicans have a favorable midterm map, but this week’s elections provided new evidence that President Trump’s leadership in Washington is causing a backlash from voters.