Britain's Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle delivers remarks next to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as they meet at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 21, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee
Republicans could see a serious backlash in the midterms as dissatisfied voters might take out their frustrations with President Donald Trump on GOP candidates, an analyst said Friday.
Mike Murphy, a conservative strategist and co-host of the "Hacks on Tap" podcast, told CNN that as the economy suffers, so do Republican chances of winning elections.
"The numbers don't lie, and he knows it," Murphy said. "The biggest problem the Republican Party has in this election is Donald J. Trump — his numbers are terrible."
Trump's promise to his base hasn't manifested, and with rising gas and grocery prices, Murphy argued that Trump has lost "his muscle" influencing voters to back Republicans as they fight to hang onto control of the House.
"These midterm elections are not too complicated," Murphy said. "The voters like to send a message to whoever is in charge in the White House, which is why, historically, the incumbent president almost always has a pretty bad midterm election season. And the polls show the same pattern."
Concerns among American voters will also play a role in the election outcome — and it doesn't look good for the GOP, Murphy explained.
"People are mad about the economy, so they're blaming the Republicans," he said. "So if you're in a tough district running as a Republican or even a close Senate race, you're kind of screwed because you can't get rid of Trump. There's no hiding him. He's such a ubiquitous presence. He has such a need to be in the middle of the debate, but he's not helping you. He's costing you votes. He might even be dulling turnout. So they're kind of paying the price now for their slavish devotion to him earlier. And a bunch of them are going to lose."