NO ONE HAS DONE THIS MUCH DAMAGE TO THE PARTY SINCE HOOVER:

Truth is, if not for the former president's interventions, the night could have been a lot better for the GOP.

Just look at how the most Trump-y candidates fared in states where more traditionalist Republicans were on the same ballot.

In Georgia, Herschel Walker was locked in a neck-and-neck contest with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. Gov. Brian Kemp, whose resistance to overturning the 2020 results infuriated Trump, easily defeated his Democratic opponent, Stacey Abrams.

In New Hampshire, Republican Don Bolduc lost to Sen. Maggie Hassan in a race that didn't even look close, while Gov. Chris Sununu, who once referred to Trump as "fucking crazy," cruised to reelection. Trump's preferred candidate in Ohio, J.D. Vance, did better, beating Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan by a comfortable margin in that state's U.S. Senate race. But he came nowhere close to the margin that incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine, a more traditionalist Republican, put up.

In Arizona, it was still early, with only about half of the expected vote in. But Kari Lake was running behind Katie Hobbs. Even if she comes back to win, it will be a closer race than political professionals of both parties had predicted had a more traditionalist Republican, Karrin Taylor Robson, made it through.

"I mean, come on," said Chuck Coughlin, a veteran Republican strategist based in Phoenix. "This should be a walk in the park for Republicans ... If Karrin Taylor Robson was the [gubernatorial] nominee, it would be an ass-kicking this cycle. But we just have such poor candidates who don't appeal to a broader base."

Besides, Coughlin said, "This is a non-presidential cycle, which tilts against the White House, tilts against the party in power. That's not going to be the case in a presidential cycle. [Trump] doesn't have that wind at his back anymore."

Fox News' Marc Thiessen: The midterm results are "a searing indictment of the Republican Party ... The Republican Party needs to do a really deep introspection look in the mirror right now because this is an absolute disaster." pic.twitter.com/m4aOfLTjLG

— The Recount (@therecount) November 9, 2022

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