Twice now, Donald Trump has essentially begged voters to turn out for his chosen candidate, saying to do it for him and to send a message, and twice now that candidate has lost in a state that still otherwise voted strongly Republican.
Pundits can argue about whether the vote was a repudiation of the candidate more or one of Donald, but the fact remains: a personal appeal from the man didn't save these candidates.
There are few things Trump fears more than looking weak. He went into the 2018 midterms ready to be hailed as the savior of the party and came out of them going, "Remember, Trump wasn't on the ballot. I wasn't running."
Individual off-year elections which are elevated to further prominence by his attention and prominence don't give him the luxury of pretending he was a bystander. These were two losses for Trump, two big hits to his personal myth.
I'm not expecting overnight defections but the Republicans who have picked backing him as being the best move for their own political survival are undoubtedly paying attention.
