Ron DeSantis Sounds Alarm About GOP’s Election Loss in Trump +17 TX District: A ‘Swing of This Magnitude’ Can’t ‘Be Dismissed’

(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) warned Republicans to take the weekend’s huge special election loss in a deep red Texas district as a serious indicator of the “political environment” that awaits them as the midterms creep closer.

Political pundits have claimed the Republicans will have to answer for Trump’s unpopular policies on deportation and affordability in the midterms, and Saturday’s huge loss may prove to be the canary in the coal mine.

Leigh Wambsganss, the Republican candidate that Donald Trump endorsed — in a district he won by 17 points — lost miserably by double-digits Saturday to local union leader Taylor Rehmet (D).

“Special elections are quirky and not necessarily projectable re: a general election,” DeSantis posted on X, before serving up a dose of reality.

“That said, a swing of this magnitude is not something that can be dismissed. Republicans should be clear-eyed about the political environment heading into the midterms.”

DeSantis, who ran in the Republican primary against Trump, retweeted a poll that showed Rehmet spent only $200,000 to Wambsganss’s $2.4 million on the race.

When asked about the huge turnaround at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, Trump claimed ignorance — “Somebody ran it where?” —then sought to distance himself form the momentous loss.

“I’m not involved in that. That’s a local Texas race,” Trump said. “You mean I won by 17 and this person lost? Things like that happen…You don’t know whether or not it’s transferrable, but I’m not on the ballot, so you don’t know whether or not it’s transferrable.”

At question now is whether Trump will get involved in the critical Texas primary for U.S. Senate that could swing control of the chamber.

On Sunday, Trump said he was “giving it very serious thought,” when asked if he will endorse incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) or either of his challengers — Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX).

“They say whoever I endorse wins. That’s probably right,” Trump said, apparently ignoring that he had posted several times to Truth Social urging Texas Republicans to rally behind Wambsganss.

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