U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) in the White House in Washington, D.C., March 6, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
After a series of Democratic election victories in late 2025 and early 2026 — some in the double digits — Democratic strategists are feeling cautiously optimistic about the 2026 midterms, especially when it comes to the U.S. House of Representatives. Many House Republicans publicly express confidence about the midterms when they appear on Fox News, Fox Business or Newsmax, but according to MS NOW reporters Mychael Schnell and Syedah Asghar, they are expressing "pessimism" behind closed doors.
In an article published on Friday, March 13, Schnell and Asghar report, "Gathered this week at a Trump-owned resort in Doral, Florida to coordinate strategy for the rest of the legislative year and the looming campaign season, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., struck an upbeat tone, telling reporters, 'Do not bet against the House Republicans' as they try to maintain their narrow edge in the chamber. But beneath the public optimism, there is deep frustration — and, in some cases, outright pessimism — simmering inside Johnson's conference."
According to a House Republican who was interviewed on condition of anonymity, pessimism is the dominant feeling among House Republicans where the midterms are concerned.
The Republican told MS NOW, "No one thinks we're keeping the majority except for the speaker…. What's he going to go out there and say? 'We're going to lose the majority?' He can't do that — money would dry up."
One House Republican who was willing to speak to MS NOW publicly was Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas).
“The problem that we have now is that a lot of our voters support what the president's doing, but they see Congress as a bunch of do-nothing, kind of idiots, candidly. ... By refusing to pass the SAVE America Act, the Senate is setting us up to get slaughtered in the midterms."