A top Democrat in the Senate said on Wednesday that the poor performance by Republicans in statewide races shows the Trump administration's government shutdown "gambit" didn't resonate with voters.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) discussed Tuesday's election results with progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen on his podcast. She argued that the results were a "validation" that Democrats need to focus on affordability issues as the calendar turns toward the 2026 midterm election.

Warren added that Trump and the Republicans' plan to shut down the government over health care clearly backfired with voters, who overwhelmingly sided with Democrats, even in counties that Trump won during the 2024 election.

"Not only did that gambit fall flat, but the whole d--- gambit was insulting," Warren said. "It just really said that they had no respect for what was going on in people's lives, that they understood that millions of people were going to be kicked off their health care coverage."

"They understood that millions more were going to pay double and triple what they had been paying, but they not only didn't care," she added. "They didn't think that there were going to be any consequences from that. And to me, that's what last night was all about."