Vance delivers post-election reality check, contends GOP must make life affordable or get walloped in 2026

Trump says election results not good for Republicans, citing 2 possible reasons

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday morning that the ongoing government shutdown was partly to blame for the Republicans elections losses on Election Day.

Vice President JD Vance said that Republicans need to direct their focus to the "home front" and work to make life more affordable for Americans, following the GOP losses in several key elections Tuesday.

Republicans' ability to do so will be a key factor in how Americans show up and vote in the 2026 midterm races, according to Vance. 

"I think it's idiotic to overreact to a couple of elections in blue states, but a few thoughts," Vance said in a Wednesday social media post. 

"We need to focus on the home front," Vance said. "The president has done a lot that has already paid off in lower interest rates and lower inflation, but we inherited a disaster from Joe Biden and Rome wasn't built in a day. We're going to keep on working to make a decent life affordable in this country, and that's the metric by which we'll ultimately be judged in 2026 and beyond."

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Vice President JD Vance said that Republicans need to direct their focus to the "home front" and work to make life more affordable for Americans.  (Gregory Bull/The Associated Press)

In October, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the consumer price index (CPI), used to assess how much goods like groceries or rent cost, increased 0.3% from August to September. Additionally, it increased to 3% on a year-over-year basis from 2.9% in August, marking the highest headline CPI reading since January when it also reached 3%.

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Meanwhile, Republicans lost several high-profile races Tuesday — including gubernatorial races where former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor's race over Republican challenger Winsome Earle-Sears, and New Jersey Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill won New Jersey's governor's race over Republican Jack Ciattarelli. 

Likewise, New York City elected democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor of the city, beating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an Independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. 

In all races, affordability and the economy were top priorities for voters, with Mamdani backing policies including rent freezes and city-run grocery stores to cut food prices.

For example, Fox News Voter Poll data found that New Jersey voters reported the state's high taxes and the economy ranked as their top two issues. Additionally, the poll data found that half of voters in Virginia said that the economy was their top priority. 

Likewise, New York City voters ranked affordability at their top concerns, the Fox News Voter Poll data found. 

"I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor," President Donald Trump said Nov. 5, 2025, during a breakfast meeting with Senate Republicans.  (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said that the party can accommodate moderate Democrats like Sherrill and Spanberger, as well as progressives like Mamdani. While they don't have to agree on everything, what they do agree on is trying to make life more affordable for Americans, he said. 

"There's a lot of different ideas on how to accomplish our goals, but we're unified around those goals," Martin told Fox News Digital ahead of the elections. "We're unified around making sure that people's lives are more affordable and that we can create an economy that works for everyone in this country." 

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Socialist Zohran Mamdani won his New York City mayoral race, beating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

According to President Donald Trump, the government shutdown that started Oct. 1 due to a lapse in funding was a culprit for GOP losses in Tuesday's races. 

"I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor," Trump said Wednesday during a breakfast meeting with Senate Republicans. "Negative for the Republicans, and that was a big factor." 

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Fox News’ Eric Revell, Paul Steinhauser and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.