U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) looks on during an interview with Reuters, during his visit to Panama, in Panama City, Panama, August 28, 2025.
When Republicans across the country fought to redraw the congressional district lines in their states, it was an effort to protect GOP members of Congress in a year that traditionally sees losses for the party in power. There is now a fear that even those efforts can't hold back a possible wave of Democrats.
Over the weekend, as diesel prices continued to climb, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), one of President Donald Trump's defenders in the Senate, posted on social media that he believes drastic measures must be implemented to save Iowa's small businesses. Farmers are already under the strain of Trump's tariffs, so fuel costs for farm machinery cut into crucial profits.
"That issue is becoming a problemfor Ashley Hinson," said Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio of the Republican U.S. Senate candidate. "In that Senaterace, for example, Josh Turek, the Democratic candidate, notedthat he came out in favor of adiesel export ban months ago. So,it's causing real politicalheadaches for Republicans."
He noted that they're also distancing themselves from the White House. Hinson wouldn't attend a rally with Vice President JD Vance for example.
Puck reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell reported that Internal Democratic polling shows that there isn't a single House incumbent trailing in the midterms, even in districts that were redrawn and seats where Trump won by double digits.
"And as we allknow, Democrats are reallyskeptical of being confident andare really worried about beingoverconfident," she said. Indeed, such numbers depend on whether those voters come to the polls. "But over the pastcouple of weeks, Democrats havebeen increasingly rosy about the midterm outlook."
"The fact that some of theseinternal polls in districts,including Shomari Figures inAlabama, which is a Trump plus14 or 15 district, where even inFlorida, Congressman Soto — whois in a Trump plus 18 districtright now because of redistricting in both of those gerrymandered seats — they say that things are justlooking incredibly good."
They're not saying that all Democratic seats look good, but the polls are tightening.
"They expect money to be put into these races," Caldwell continued. "But Democrats are increasinglyoptimistic. And the DCCC [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee], as Andrew's publication Punchbowl reported this morning,is going in with money in thatAlabama district, which is asign that there is someconfidence that maybe they couldpull it out actually."
It's further evidence that the political environment is good for Democrats, though they caution that it could come down to turnout in November. The outcome must continue to look this good by the middle of October for it to continue to be good.
Desiderio agreed that if the DCCC is dumping its money into long-shot seats like the one in Alabama, it shows their confidence.