Election 2026 live results: Democrat Colom leads Republican Hyde-Smith by about 1,000 votes in Mississippi Senate Race

Sen. Ted Cruz is the latest Republican politician considering a 2028 presidential run to offer their evaluation of the GOP's performance in the midterm elections, calling Tuesday night’s results a “Watergate-level repudiation” of the Republican Party.

"2026 was not simply a blue wave; it was a blue tsunami. It was an ass-kicking. It was not simply a bad 2006 midterm election. It was a Watergate-level repudiation. What happened, and why? What are the consequences, and where on earth do we go from here?” Cruz said during his podcast.

Cruz later turned to his state of Texas, where Republicans lost every statewide election, leaving Democrats in power.

“Texas is blue. That is a hard sentence to utter. But Texas, today at least, is blue. As we sit here today, I am the only statewide elected Republican who remains in Texas. That’s not something I ever thought I would say," Cruz said.

Cruz offered a different analysis than Vice President JD Vance, who said it was the Iran war that cost Republicans the midterms. Cruz said it was the rising cost of living that led Republicans to be unsuccessful this election cycle.

"The top issue, cost of living, is very real. Too many in politics dismissed it," Cruz said.

See more Texas results here.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

Only about 1,000 votes separate Democratic candidate Scott Colom and Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s closer-than-expected race for U.S. Senate.

With 96% of the expected vote reporting as of 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Colom had 49.0% of the vote (464,926 votes), followed by Hyde-Smith with 48.9% of the vote (463,788).

Colom only leads Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes.

A new batch of votes added to the count Wednesday evening slightly grew Colom's earlier razor-thin lead.

Independent candidate Ty Pinkins, who said on CNN on Wednesday that he wants Colom to win, followed with 2.1% of the vote (19,934 votes).

-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim

A close-race audit has been initiated for six races in Kansas, including the competitive gubernatorial race between Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher and Republican state Senate President Ty Masterson, according to the state's secretary of state office.

With 99% of the expected vote in, Holscher has 50.3% compared to 49.7% for Masterson. The audit involves reviewing ballots in 10% of precincts in each county, according to the secretary of state's office.

Holscher already declared victory with a statement posted to X on Wednesday morning.

"The people of Kansas made their voices heard, and I’m deeply honored by the trust Kansans placed in me to serve as your next governor. Whether I earned your vote or not, I will work for you," she wrote.

However, Masterson has not conceded, according to a spokesperson for his campaign. He wrote on X that it was "a difficult night," but "the margin is narrow enough that Kansas law calls for another look, and we'll let that process finish."

-ABC News' Gaby Vinick

Rep. Tom Emmer, the current House majority whip, is facing a challenge from Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, the outgoing chairman of the Republican Study Committee, to become minority whip, according to letters both lawmakers sent to colleagues Wednesday that were obtained by ABC News.

"There is no sugarcoating the failure we just experiences," Emmer of Minnesota wrote. "We lost, and I take that loss personally, both as a competitor and a member of this team."

Emmer said Republicans "must continue to fight" and touted his ability as whip for bringing members together across the conference.

Pfluger said he is running to be minority whip, "because I believe that I am capable and can be trusted to implement the changes this team needs."

"From day one in Congress, I have devoted myself towards helping others and that is exactly what I will continue to do in this role," he wrote.

Pfluger said Republicans must prioritize a strategy to win back the majority in 2028.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller