The end of Maga as we know it

The Republican party will regroup after their shellacking in the US midterm elections, but it won't look the same

Walking by a tattoo studio and medical spa on the pretty main street of Round Rock, in Texas Hill Country, Tarik Bakir recalled voting for Barack Obama in 2008 and Donald Trump in 2024. But when it came to the 2026 midterm elections, he was firmly back in the Democrats' column.

I'm not happy with the Iran war," said Bakir, 41, a financial adviser who served with the US military in Afghanistan. The economy's OK, but not great. This election was a rebuttal to Trump. This time people said they didn't like him, or his policies."