2026 Midterm Elections

Republican lawmakers already bracing for a potential midterm election wipeout are now facing a crisis within their own party: the National Republican Congressional Committee's decision to center its campaign around Trump and the MAGA movement is terrifying vulnerable GOP candidates who fear the strategy will make their grip on their seats even more tenuous.

According to NBC News, numerous Republican candidates in competitive districts are actively avoiding Trump or featuring him prominently in their advertising — a stark sign that the president has become a political liability in swing districts.

An offhand comment Donald Trump made on the White House South Lawn before departing for China is causing no small amount of heartburn for Republicans already worried about the midterm elections.

Asked if “Americans’ financial situations” were pushing him to make a deal to end the war with Iran, the president replied, “Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran — they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”

A looming Supreme Court decision on campaign financing could dramatically amplify the Republican Party's already massive cash advantage over Democrats, flooding GOP nominees with what one Democratic operative described as "terrifying" amounts of additional campaign funding heading into crucial midterm elections.

According to the Washington Post, the Republican National Committee is sitting on "well over $100 million more than Democrats in their party committees" as the midterm election cycle heats up — giving Republicans a significant war chest advantage in what is otherwise shaping up to be a difficult election year for the GOP.

One of the largest political action committees aligned with House Republicans is backing a progressive Democrat in California running to unseat Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), a move that one political expert described as a "confession," according to a new report.

The Congressional Leadership Fund recently sent out mailers supporting progressive Democrat Randy Villegas, a college professor, as he competes against Democratic Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains in California's 22nd District, The Sacramento Bee reported. Some experts suggested that the move is intended to help Villegas win the race against Bains by turning moderate voters away from Democrats and toward Republicans.

Republican chances of holding on to their House majority have gotten a major boost this month with a pair of court rulings, but an analyst warned that might set the stage for new problems down the road.

Two weeks ago, the outlook was dim for GOP chances for keeping the House and not much better for the Senate, with President Donald Trump's poll numbers sinking to new depths and fractures appearing in his MAGA coalition, but that forecast improved since the start of May, wrote MS NOW columnist Hayes Brown.

Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers is facing scrutiny over his campaign's ties to a church where three leaders have been convicted of child sex crimes.

Rogers is vying for the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Gary Peters. The Democratic race is a three-way contest between Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and former Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed.

Abdul El-Sayed, one of the Democratic candidates for Senate in Michigan, is facing accusations of misleading voters by referring to himself as a "physician" without meaningful experience actually practicing medicine with real patients, Politico reported on Tuesday.

"There’s no doubt that El-Sayed has top-notch medical credentials," noted the report. "He attended the University of Michigan Medical School and ended up receiving his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He has a doctorate in public health from Oxford University and worked as an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia for a year before moving to Detroit to be executive director and health officer of the Detroit Health Department."

In a blow to President Donald Trump, South Carolina Republicans have voted down a procedural measure that would unlock the ability to redraw their congressional maps to delete their sole Democratic-leaning, majority-Black congressional district — but it may not be the end of the issue.

According to Politico, "Lawmakers on Tuesday failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to approve a measure that would have allowed them to take up a vote on redistricting even after the legislative session ends later this week. Five Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against the proposal."