Democratic strategist James Carville declared on Wednesday that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was the "Republican winner" of the 2026 midterm elections, even as Democrats made sweeping gains nationwide and recaptured both chambers of Congress.
During an episode of his "Politics War Room" podcast, Carville was joined by political adviser Mark McKinnon and Gen Z for Change founder Aidan Kohn-Murphy to discuss the future of the Republican Party in a post-Trump era. Carville argued that DeSantis's performance in Florida stood out in an otherwise dismal night for the GOP.
"The Republican winner last night was Ron DeSantis," Carville said. "But Ron DeSantis can say we did better in — you know, 'We want to win? Look at what we did in Florida' … If I'm not a Republican, I don't like Ron DeSantis … But everybody had dismissed him as out of hand."
Carville noted that while the Republican Party's national image would suffer after Tuesday's losses, DeSantis's political standing had surged. "His stock has doubled in the last 24 hours," he said. McKinnon echoed that sentiment, contrasting Florida with Texas, where Democrats made significant gains. "The greatest beneficiary of this election may be Ron DeSantis," McKinnon added.
Kohn-Murphy acknowledged that while Democrats made gains in Florida, they fell short of winning major statewide races, calling it "a pretty devastating result" that "could have been better." He expressed skepticism about whether DeSantis would be taken seriously on the national stage, despite his past prominence.
DeSantis, who took office in 2019 with Trump's backing but later clashed with him during the 2024 presidential primary, has long been viewed as a potential heir to Trump's political movement. The Never Back Down PAC had positioned him as the future of the GOP in 2023.
In Florida, Democrats flipped several House seats and made inroads in state legislative races, but Republicans maintained control of other key statewide offices. Voters also elected Representative Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) to succeed the term-limited DeSantis, making Donalds the state's first Black governor.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis called the midterm results an "extinction-level event" for Republicans nationally, while noting that Florida remained a bright spot. "In January, when everyone in office leaves who are either term-limited or got voted out, of the 10 largest states in this union, only one state will have Republican control … the state of Florida," he said.
In an interview with Fox News's Laura Ingraham, DeSantis described the election as "no question … a rebuke of the president and the Congress by Democrats, independents and some Republicans that crossed over." He also blamed Republican voters who stayed home, saying they were "frustrated with the lack of productivity from Republicans in the House and Senate."
The midterm rout has already reshaped the GOP's 2028 landscape, with DeSantis and Senator Marco Rubio seen as rising while others like JD Vance have been wounded. Meanwhile, Democrats are celebrating victories in key races, including Arizona's 1st District and Michigan's gubernatorial race. The election also saw all 10 House Republicans who impeached Trump lose their seats, and the GOP's future remains uncertain.
