During a Wednesday afternoon, April 15 appearance on MS NOW, Mark McKinnon — a veteran GOP consultant whose past clients included former President George W. Bush and the late Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) — warned fellow Republicans that they are in danger of losing not only the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms, but also, the U.S. Senate. Democratic strategists acknowledge that the Senate is an uphill climb for their party, as they would need to flip at least four GOP-held seats to win back Congress' upper chamber. But according to McKinnon, the political environment is so toxic for Republicans during President Donald Trump's second term that it is "increasingly likely" Democrats will flip the Senate.
McKinnon isn't the only GOP consultant/strategist who is sounding the alarm about the 2026 midterms.
In an op-ed published by The Hill on April 17, conservative Keith Naughton — co-founder of the Republican firm Silent Majority Strategies — argues that his party is flailing badly and acts like it has "no apparent strategy at all" for the midterms.
Far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party suffered a landslide defeat in the country's parliamentary elections on Sunday, April 12 even though Trump and Vice President JD Vance aggressively promoted Orbán's reelection campaign — a move that, according to Naughton, makes Trump look weak.
"In politics, nothing succeeds like success, while losing shows weakness and fuels your opponents," Naughton explains. "For Trump, the view that he is a winner has been a significant asset for him. That Orbán lost so badly after the high-profile Trump support dents that winner image. But the failure in Hungary is not his only political problem. In the past few months, it seems that the Trump Administration is not so much pursuing poor political strategy, it's that it has no apparent strategy at all."
Naughton continues, "On Iran, it's hard to see the communications and political strategy. And make no mistake, the bedrock of any presidential administration is public support. Failing to secure that support undermines any policy goal, regardless of its merit."
Naughton laments that for Trump, "waiting five weeks before addressing the nation" on the Iran war was a big mistake.
"In its April 6 poll," Naughton notes, "YouGov found that only 17 percent understand Trump's objective 'very well'….. For independents, a whopping 66 percent say they do not understand. For a president with such a powerful ability to directly communicate to the public, those numbers are atrocious…. Winning in politics means delivering on popular issues, and that is difficult for any president. Without a solid political strategy and discipline is nigh impossible."
