Republican campaign operatives are bracing for catastrophe, warning that President Donald Trump's next move could cost the party its congressional majorities and "ruin his second term," reports show.
Trump has only promised more war after his ceasefire with Iran collapsed, and U.S. deaths have continued to mount — 18 service members killed since the fighting began in February, the Washington Post reported.
Republicans are now bracing for the "unthinkable" scenario that Trump could trigger a "full-scale war" that will still be raging when voters go to the polls in November, Politico's Dasha Burns reported Wednesday.
With 104 days until the midterms, contests in Iowa, Alaska and Ohio — along with House districts Trump carried by double digits — are now firmly in play, according to Politico.
"We're preparing for the bottom to fall out," a GOP operative working on midterm races told Politico.
"Republicans are running out of runway here to improve their political fortunes before November," the operative added.
In Iowa, now a new battleground for the GOP, Democratic Senate candidate state Rep. Josh Turek (D-Iowa) told Politico that voters are connecting the war directly to their wallets.
"Everywhere I'm going — it doesn't matter, urban or rural areas — people are telling me they're struggling just to keep food on the table, a roof above their head, and now with this unnecessary war in Iran, we're looking at being able to afford gas," Turek said.
Inside Trump's own orbit, a person close to the White House told Politico the administration has no strategy for ending the conflict.
"They don't have a plan here," the source said, warning that a ground invasion could produce a 15-year war and "runs the risk of ruining his second term. … This is a classic escalation trap."
A new Politico poll conducted by Public First found that just 37 percent of Trump's MAGA base now says the war is worth its economic costs — down 13 points since May.
A second Republican operative told Politico the administration's conflicting messages on the war have left candidates without a coherent argument to make to voters.
"The messaging alone coming out of the administration has handcuffed candidates heading into the midterms," the operative said. "It's all over the place — they don't know whether to lean into saying Iran has been obliterated or that we're heading toward peace."
Republicans are marking September as their last off-ramp — the point where hope gives way to full-blown political triage, Politico reported.
"It's never great for the party in power when the commander in chief is going to Dover to accept bodies of American soldiers," the first operative said.