Trump won a trifecta in 2024 and handed Republicans everything they needed to secure elections.
Now John Thune handed Democrats their biggest victory in ages.
The same Senate Majority Leader who refused to fight for the SAVE Act just watched Democrats use his cowardice to steal four House seats.
How Thune Buried the SAVE America Act
This was never complicated. The SAVE Act requires photo ID at the ballot box and proof of citizenship to register to vote. It passed the House 218-213. Trump demanded the Senate act. Conservative senators demanded Thune nuke the filibuster. Rep. Chip Roy even laid out exactly how Thune could force Democrats onto the floor for a real filibuster – no rule changes required, just 51 Republicans willing to make Democrats stand and talk.
"There aren't anywhere close to the votes, not even close, to nuking the filibuster," Thune said at a press conference in February. He rejected the talking filibuster. He rejected Chip Roy's procedural roadmap. He put the bill on the floor for a show vote he already knew would fail, then walked away.
Trump posted to social media: "The Republicans should TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, and VOTE! Haven't they had enough of this nonsense from the Radical Left Lunatics?"
Thune's answer was silence.
Virginia Redistricting Just Cost Republicans Four House Seats
While Thune played defense, Virginia Democrats ran the most aggressive power play of the 2026 cycle.
Four months ago, Virginia had a fully Republican executive branch. Democrats took the governorship in 2025, immediately put a redistricting referendum on the April ballot, and flooded the state with $64 million from national dark money groups. Barack Obama cut ads. Hakeem Jeffries held rallies. The full weight of the national Democrat machine landed in Virginia while Republicans fumbled.
The result: a 10-1 congressional map goes into effect immediately. Democrats picked up four House seats. Republicans hold a 218-seat majority built on a single independent. Losing four seats doesn't narrow the margin – it ends it.
The anti-gerrymander campaign drew 1,480,371 votes – nearly matching the 1,449,586 votes Winsome Sears received in the 2025 gubernatorial race. The problem wasn't the map. The problem was that Republicans gave their voters nothing to come out for.
Glenn Youngkin got 1,663,596 votes in 2021. Those votes were still in Virginia on Tuesday. They stayed home.
Republicans Face a Voter Turnout Crisis Before the 2026 Midterms
Democrats are already outpacing Republicans in primary turnout across every competitive state. Fox News polling shows Democrats leading the generic congressional ballot 52-46. Democrats are 18 points more likely to describe themselves as enthusiastic about voting in November.
This is what happens when you hold power and refuse to use it.
The Republican base voted in 2024 to stop noncitizens from deciding American elections. The SAVE Act was the one piece of legislation that delivered on that promise directly. Thune sat on it for months, ran a vote he knew would fail, declared mission accomplished, and moved on.
A Democratic House means two years of subpoenas, impeachment hearings, and investigations – Trump's second term reduced to a permanent rearguard action against a party that knows exactly how to weaponize congressional power. Virginia just showed what that looks like.
Republicans don't lose because Democrats are smarter. They lose because establishment Republicans would rather protect the filibuster than protect their own voters. Thune had the votes, the will of the president, and the roadmap to pass election integrity. He chose procedure over power.
The 65+ conservatives who dragged Trump across the finish line in 2024 aren't going to show up in November to reward that.
Sources:
- Breccan F. Thies, "Republicans Stalling On SAVE Act Gave Virginia Voters No Reason To Turn Out For Them," The Federalist, April 22, 2026.
- "The Constitution and the SAVE America Act," Constitution Center, March 19, 2026.
- "Senate Leader Thune throws cold water on filibuster change in push for voter-ID bill," CNBC, February 10, 2026.
- Rep. Chip Roy, "Rep. Roy Explains How Senate Can Vote on his SAVE America Act Without Changing Any Rules," Roy.house.gov, February 16, 2026.
- "Virginia votes for redistricting, giving Democrats a boost," NPR, April 21, 2026.
- "Virginia voters approve a map giving Democrats a chance at four more House seats," CNN, April 21, 2026.
- "Fox News Poll: An early look at the 2026 midterms," Fox News, January 29, 2026.
