Thursday, November 5 | By Claire Leibowitz and Abigail Walker
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It’s Thursday. There are still major races to be called and midterm aftermath to deal with. Luckily, you’re reading this.
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Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP
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The White House says the president gave his OK to Vice President Vance's statement on Wednesday blaming massive midterm losses squarely on the Iran War.
Two sources told the that the vice president fired the message without running it by Trump. A White House official told The Hill’s Julia Manchester that Vance flagged it and got it cleared prior to sending.
And two people and a senior White House official told Politico that Vance gave a heads-up before pushing the 614-word post out.
But what does Trump think?: The president had partially blamed the Iran war for the GOP’s losses on Wednesday, but he said he would have done it again.
Trump told The Wall Street Journal that the Middle East conflict “was a piece of it” in an election night interview.
Asked later Tuesday about Vance’s post and whether he knew it was coming, Trump said: “I know how he feels about [the Iran war]. I think it was fine. I thought it was good.”
Those close to Vance see his post as an attempt to distance himself from the Iran war and a signal that he’s looking to take over the American Right, reportedly.
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How is Hegseth handling the hot water?:
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could be facing impeachment, even before Democrats take control of Congress in January.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) posted on X Thursday morning that his own Hegseth impeachment resolution is “a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dem’s control Congress. They’ll have hearings and trials.”
Hegseth’s ousting of top generals from the military, along with his culture crusade and concerns over the Iran war, have put him in hot water with Democrats and Republicans alike. Massie previously introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth in September.
Trump defended Hegseth Thursday morning and said he intends to keep him in the role. But he did acknowledge it would be easier to confirm someone new before Democrats take control of Congress.
Trump said he’s received calls from people who are concerned about Hegseth but noted he didn’t “understand why.”
And on Wednesday, the president said Hegseth would be “very popular” if he was elected to replace Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who opted to run for governor instead of reelection.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) blamed the president for the GOP's epic midterm defeat.
“This midterm, no question, was a rebuke of the president and the Congress by Democrats, independents and some Republicans that crossed over,” DeSantis said in an interview with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham, adding that a lot of Republican voters stayed home on Tuesday.
“That’s just a fact. They were promised big things, and they didn’t deliver it," the governor continued.
Exit polling placed economic issues as the primary concern for voters, who ousted Republican leadership across historically red states in districts.
Florida, however, remained largely in GOP control with Sen. Ashley Moody defeating challenger Angie Nixon for Senate and Republican Byron Donalds winning his race to replace DeSantis as governor.
💬 Follow today’s live blog
Meanwhile in Texas, the GOP had a tough night.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote in a lengthy social media post on X Wednesday evening that “Texas is blue. That is a hard sentence to utter. But Texas, today at least, is blue.”
The senator described Tuesday's results as an "impressive victory" for Democrats but warned that “Texans will be hurt."
“Their assault on business will make Texas a much less attractive place to start or grow a small business,” Cruz added. “Texas will become more like California if they succeed in halting all new investment into AI.”
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Much ado about Mississippi:
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The results of the Mississippi Senate race have yet to be decided, and with no recount procedure set in place, the results could go to the courts.
Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom are nearly tied in the race to represent Mississippi in the upper chamber with Colom ahead by fewer than 2,000 votes as of Wednesday evening.
The count is still ongoing — in Mississippi, main-in ballots are counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within 5 business days. That leaves 3,600 mail-in votes, as well as an additional 15,000 provisional ballots remaining.
Things might get complicated if the race head to a recount, a process decided at the state-level.
As The Hill's Sophie Brams and Zach Schonfeld write, "When it comes to federal offices like the U.S. Senate, nothing in Mississippi law provides an express way to contest the general election. It effectively leaves it up to judges to determine how disputes are resolved in any push by either side."
Both candidates have acknowledged the tight race to their supporters.
“We are going to make sure every single vote has been counted, and I am confident we will ultimately flip this seat,” Colom wrote in a post on the social platform X.
“I’ll tell you the Democrats got out and worked, they really got out and worked, and a lot of them showed up today. But not enough of them. I’ll just tell you that right now,” Hyde-Smith said, per Mississippi Today.
“I assure you I will continue to be your U.S. senator," the GOP candidate added.
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Democrats may in part have their sharp rebuke of data centers to thank for their dominance in the 2026 midterm elections.
"Midterm voters both rejected industry-backed candidates and overwhelmingly backed resolutions to halt data center construction, dealing a major blow to the sector," write The Hill's Miranda Nazzaro and Rachel Frazin.
In states such as Ohio and Texas, where Democrats pulled off victories by wider margins than expected, voters expressed concern about the construction of data centers.
The GOP was aware of the risk, with the National Republican Senatorial Committee cautioning that data centers could be an “anchor hanging around" Sen. Jon Husted's (R-Ohio) neck.
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Democrat who dropped out wins
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In perhaps one of the most surprising signs of Tuesday's blue wave, a Democrat who dropped out of his race for the Iowa state House still won the contest.
Eric Armstrong defeated Republican candidate Kieth Jones by 9 points, per The Associated Press.
The kicker? Armstrong suspended his campaign in September, citing health issues.
“Because I must prioritize my health and recovery at this time, I am stepping down from my campaign, effective immediately,” Armstrong wrote in a Sept. 7 post on Facebook. “This was a deeply difficult choice. However, I know it is the right one.”
Despite quitting, Armstrong won over voters, beating his Republican opponent by 865 votes, according to AP.
In a Wednesday morning call with The New York Times, the winner said he'd represent his district to the best of his ability.
“But I still have health issues, that’s what I’m struggling with,” Armstrong continued.
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Dig into the midterm data yourself
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Explore 2026 election results, voting trends and historical comparisons with Decision Desk HQ, available through The Hill Insider Premium.
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First lady speaks on ceasefire
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First lady Melania Trump hosted Russian and Ukrainian representatives at the White House to discuss the localized ceasefire in the front-line city Oleshky.
“People experienced the simple joys of life for the first time since 2022,” she said. “Food, clean water and medicine entered the area, and nearly 800 people left their homes in search of safety, loved ones and a renewed sense of being.”
She secured a ceasefire in the region late last month that ended on Sunday.
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— Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) said on Thursday that he supported Trump’s plan to stop aid to Israel. “I agree with him on that,” El-Sayed said on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe.”
— Former Trump staffer Caroline Sunshine said on Wednesday that Susie Wiles should resign as White House chief of staff, arguing that the GOP's historic midterm failure was partially her doing and citing unsuccessful messaging strategies.
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) responded to Vance's post-election analysis blaming the blue wave on the unpopular Iran war, writing on social media that the vice president was merely trying to "cover [himself]."
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New York Times: Netanyahu Alleges Election Fraud in Connection With Arab Turnout
Associated Press: Flash flooding leads to water rescues in small town McCaysville, Georgia
NBC News: Europe flight bomb threats: Multiple planes diverted and airports disrupted
Politico: ‘Skip the TED talk’: Iran trolls Vance over midterm defeat analysis
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The House and Senate out. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EDT)
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1 p.m. National Capital Planning Commission meeting, with the arch on the agenda
3:30 p.m. Trump signs an executive order.
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🍩 Celebrate: Today is National Donut Day. We donut have any right now, but maybe after we send this out.
🎀Nicki Minaj is staying political on X, reminding followers “Trump is STILL your PRESIDENT,” “The BARBZ are STILL PRETTY!!!,” “I don’t vote, I VETO,” and 10 other points in a list.
🏀Any Knicks fans? They swept the Chicago Bulls last night 135-105. Not too shabby. The Wizards, unfortunately, lost to the Atlanta Hawks 120-105.
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Check out these dolphins that can’t take their eyes off a pair of visiting squirrels.
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