Senate Republicans are growing uneasy that voter frustration with President Trump’s economic record and hardline deportation agenda could spark a Democratic surge in the midterm elections — one strong enough to flip the House and put the GOP’s slim Senate advantage at risk.
Those concerns intensified over the weekend after Democrat Taylor Rehmet scored an unexpected victory in a North Texas state Senate race. The district had gone for Trump by 17 points in 2024, making the result a jolt for Republican lawmakers who described it as an early warning sign ahead of November.
One Republican senator who participated in a briefing Tuesday at the National Republican Senatorial Committee said anxiety within the party is mounting as the midterms approach.
“The level of concern should be extremely high,” the senator said, calling the Texas special election loss a “wake-up call” for the conference.
According to the lawmaker, senators facing competitive races — including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and retiring Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina — have repeatedly cautioned colleagues that political conditions are worsening for Republicans.
“More and more senators are openly saying how worried they are,” the senator said. “The sense is that the environment keeps getting tougher, and that message keeps coming up in our internal conversations.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also acknowledged the significance of Rehmet’s win, noting that the Democrat prevailed by 14 points in Tarrant County despite being significantly outspent.
“It was a bad night,” Cruz said, arguing that the outcome highlights the importance of boosting Republican voter turnout in November.
While GOP leaders still believe they have a realistic path to holding the Senate, they are increasingly wary that a large-scale Democratic wave could put normally Republican-leaning states — such as Ohio, Alaska, and potentially Iowa — into play.
Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the Senate, with Vice President JD Vance available to break tie votes. That means Democrats would need to pick up four seats to regain control of the chamber.
A second Republican senator, speaking anonymously, told The Hill that dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of inflation and the broader economy cuts across party lines. The senator added that independents, in particular, are reacting negatively to the administration’s aggressive deportation efforts, including those carried out in Minneapolis.
“Republicans have good reason to be nervous about the midterms,” the lawmaker said. “You can sense when the political temperature is shifting — and it feels like it could change very quickly.”
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Do you think Republicans are at risk of losing control of the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections?
⬜ Yes
⬜ No
Post a Comment