Courtney Sparks

[JD Vance @JDVance]

One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was merely OK, in other states it was downright amazing, and in no state was it catastrophic. There was a genuine sense of optimism on our team: our people were showing up.

So, I asked the smartest data guy I know, does that mean we're going to shock the world? "No," he told me. "We might do better than the polls suggest. But the data is telling us that a lot of Trump/Vance 2024 voters are pissed and planning to vote for the other guys. Our voters are turning out, but they may not vote for us."

Well, that looks prophetic now. Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was 9 points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024. Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.

There will be a lot of infighting and arguing over what happened and why that is. One of the pollsters I really respect told me that our economic messaging wasn’t sharp enough down the stretch. I’m sure that’s true.

But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone.

Another pollster—one of the smartest people I know in politics, told me yesterday we’d lose the generic ballot by 13 points. I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were:

1) End the war
2) Focus on cost of living/inflation
3) Put America First
4) Change our relationship to Israel

Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results. While many spent Monday attacking Rachel Campos Duffy for calling for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, it turns out her political advice was sound. (She’s also a great person.)

In the next few months, there's going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty. I'm open to the idea that we should change enforcement—by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you.

The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.

If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.

But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.

I remain hopeful about our country. To the people who are pissed off and want to say, “I told you so”: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country.

[Thomas Massie @RepThomasMassie]

Tonight’s outcome isn’t about placing faith in Democrats or socialist principles; it’s about holding Republicans accountable for betraying their promises.

All Republicans had to do was:

1. put Americans First
2. not start another war
3. prosecute sex traffickers

[Saagar Enjeti @esaagar]

Any true patriot has a duty not to let those responsible for service members’ deaths use their sacrifice as cover for still more needless deaths.

It makes me genuinely sick that people who were infants or not yet born on 9/11 are now dying in a Middle Eastern war

[Trinidad Chambliss @TrinidadChambl1]

Home 🏡❤️

[cristilmethod @cristilmethod]

Men with Oxford experience have played on through worse, Morgan Wallen

[Courtney Sparks @Courtneysparks_]

@KaleSmith18 @AustinC1514 But why does this look like our dad @Tha____Don

[Alabama Golf Association @bamagolf]

The following men will be representing Alabama in the 40th U.S. Mid-Amateur! Ready to tune in and watch all the action? We're rooting for our Alabama friends, loud and proud! The fun starts tomorrow.

💥Shaw Pritchett
💥Austin Sparks
💥Hunter Hawkins
💥Will Morrison
💥Blake Watts

[KATY PERRY @katyperry]

All board the Lane Train… LFG!!! @corral_matt for Heisman OK ☝🏻🌽🐕🙏🏻

[Courtney Sparks @Courtneysparks_]

@mtracey I don’t want to see this happen to anyone though. I have family members that I love dearly that continually deride the vaccine and I pray every day for their safety and for their hearts and minds to change. So no, never a good idea to mock them. That’s not doing any good.

[Eric Weinstein @ericweinstein]

.

[Courtney Sparks @Courtneysparks_]

If I ever have free time again one day, I will not use it to be a Facebook group moderator.

[dr. b 🐐 @CheckTheResume]

McGraw-Hill gotta be overwhelmed making these new history books

[Courtney Sparks @Courtneysparks_]

*Casually* walked past @markwahlberg at the Master’s a few years ago like I wasn’t losing my mind inside

[elizabeth lowder gallo @getlowder]

quote tweet this with a mundane experience you’ve shared with someone who is more famous than you

(but you obviously have enough chill to leave it out of your twitter bio)

[Matt Walsh @MattWalshBlog]

@thedailybeast I, for one, am utterly scandalized to discover that an evangelical tried to evangelize

[Chamath Palihapitiya @chamath]

US Higher Ed is bankrupt.

1. It costs too much and leaves people massively in debt.

2. People aren’t taught anything useful and are left without great job prospects.

3. It has created a monoculture of scared rule followers vs independent thinkers.

We need to break the cycle.