Bexar County Republicans face new Senate leadership under Thune

Democrats flipped more than 40 Republican-held House seats in the November 2026 midterm elections, shifting control of both chambers of Congress to the minority party for the first time in two years.

The defeat forced House Republicans to clear out their offices and reorganize. The party elected Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan as its next leader, a decision that signaled a commitment to a harder line against the new Democratic majority. Jordan, a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus and current chair of the Judiciary Committee, has served as a close ally to President Donald Trump in previous legislative battles.

In the Senate, the leadership race centered on Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. A small group of conservatives, led by Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, argued for a delay in the election to allow other candidates to emerge. However, no alternative candidate stepped forward. After hours of discussion, the Republican caucus backed Thune without a formal vote. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio was elected to lead the party’s efforts to regain seats in the 2028 election.

The election results prompted a sharp critique from GOP leadership regarding the party’s connection to voters. Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the House Republican campaign arm, stated that voters felt gas prices and general costs were too high. He said the party failed to communicate that it cared about those economic concerns. Sen. Hawley, who sought to delay leadership elections, said the party lost touch with rural healthcare spending and working people. Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who is trailing her Democratic challenger in a district Republicans previously carried by 18 percentage points, acknowledged that the American people indicated the party had failed in its governing experience.

Bexar County residents will see continued Republican leadership in the Senate through Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. Cornyn is among the Republicans who retained their seats following the election. He recently posted a photograph with a Democrat who will soon represent their shared state, a gesture of post-election unity echoed by Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Tim Scott of South Carolina. Sen. Hyde-Smith of Mississippi also conceded her closely fought race, stating she would respect the voters' decision.

Despite the losses, House Republicans maintained a unified front on key issues. They overwhelmingly blocked an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Only Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie voted with Democrats to advance the measure. Massie stated that the president still controls the conference. President Trump, whose trade and Iran policies were cited as contributing factors to the defeat, remains in the final two years of his second term. House Speaker Mike Johnson described the election result as the voters making the wrong choice, while Thune attributed the losses to a combination of factors without directly blaming the president.