Republicans hitched their wagon to a single leader. And they lost in the midterms. Bigly.

In what turned out to be a historic and unprecedented midterm election, Democrats came out with some major victories. States turned blue that have been led by Republicans for decades, like Kansas, South Carolina, and Texas. And even states that voted President Donald Trump into office just two years ago swung left. 

Democrats, who will take control of the next Congress, are celebrating, as what was expected to be a blue wave turned out to be a blue tsunami. 

Meanwhile, Republicans are struggling to wrap their heads around their new reality, as it seems clear that change is coming. And it could serve as a lesson for what happens when an organization puts all its eggs in one leader’s basket.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the blue wave an “extinction-level event” for Republicans. Ted Cruz said the election was “a Watergate-level repudiation.” And conservative podcaster Clay Travis declared that the era of Trump is “over.” 

And while Trump was quick to say Republicans lost because he himself “wasn’t on the ballot” and that Americans didn’t like the candidates, the president had endorsed many of Tuesday night’s biggest losers, who had closely aligned themselves with his policies. 

To name a few, Ken Paxton lost the Texas Senate seat to Democrat James Talarico, Michigan Republican Mike Rogers lost to Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, and South Carolina Republican Darline Graham—who was handpicked by the president—lost to her Democratic challenger Annie Andrews.

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