In interviews with over a dozen senior Republican strategists, not one said Trump did anything to change the trajectory of a contest that is growing further out of reach. And many said they were deeply distressed by Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the Nov. 8 election, an eyebrow-raising moment already dominating headlines…

“The biggest loser tonight was not Trump, the presidential race is over,” said Robert Blizzard, a GOP pollster who is working on a number of congressional races. “Instead, down-ticket Republicans lost tonight — they needed some help and got absolutely none.”…

“He made a really huge mistake tonight when he would not commit to 100 percent accepting the results of the election whether he wins or loses,” said Austin Barbour, a Mississippi-based Republican strategist. “For him, that is a big takeaway from tonight. It’s a shame for him, he could have walked away, I think, as the winner from tonight, but that line will be one that is played in a big — in a bigly — way with the press tomorrow.”