Trump just reasserted his domination of the GOP. But that might not be good news for the party in 2026 | CNN Politics

Just two months after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol — even as some Republicans harbored illusions about moving beyond Donald Trump — Sen. Lindsey Graham stepped forward with a reality check. The South Carolina Republican likened the Trump-era GOP to a hostage situation and urged his party to make the best of its captivity. “He could make the Republican Party something that nobody else I know can make it. He can make it bigger. He can make it stronger. He can make it more diverse,” Graham told “Axios on HBO.” Then the senator added: “And he also could destroy it.” Graham said Trump both had a “dark side” and was capable of “magic” — and that it was best to hope the party got the magic. Tuesday’s elections proved how right Graham was — even as the GOP is decidedly staring down the perils of a historically unpopular president’s dark side. Five months ago, Indiana state Senate Republicans delivered perhaps the most stunning rebuke of Trump to date from members of his own party. They called into question his domination of the party by firmly rejecting his new congressional map — and his pronounced threats over it. But on Tuesday, Trump s