The unfavorable results for Republicans have been acknowledged by Donald Trump himself, who met this morning with conservative party lawmakers.
A day after the historic election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York, the US president admitted: "I don't think it was good for the Republicans."
Trump blamed the government shutdown for the loss, noting that polls show the public attributes more blame to him and Republicans.
At the same time, he called on Republican senators to abolish the filibuster, a procedure that allows endless debates in the Senate and often blocks the passage of bills.
"It's time for Republicans to do what they need to do," he said, warning that otherwise the party will remain at a disadvantage.
