Republican insiders reveal 'one of the main strategies' to fend off a 'blue wave' in 2026

Democratic strategists are hoping that President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" will continue to be so unpopular in the months ahead that it will be a major liability for the GOP in the 2026 midterms. Republicans have small majorities in both chambers of Congress, and Democrats have fond memories of the 2018 midterms — known as the "Blue Wave" which netted 41 House seats.

But Politico reporters Jake Traylor and Adam Wren, in an article published on July 25, emphasize that Trump and his allies don't plan to give up control of Congress without a fight.

"President Donald Trump and senior White House aides, in recent weeks, have privately, and sometimes publicly, steered Republican candidates in House races in Iowa, Michigan and New York and Senate contests in Maine, Iowa and North Carolina, in hopes of staving off contentious primaries and shoring up swing districts with Trump-loyal candidates," Traylor and Wren explain. "The kingmaker moves are part of a broad White House strategy designed to ensure Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in next fall's midterm elections, according to a White House official granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics."

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Trump, according to the Politico reporters, is closely examining the landscape in both the U.S. Senate and the House.

"Trump steered Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan out of a potentially messy Senate primary, telling him in a private meeting after the signing of the GENIUS Act that he planned to back Mike Rogers," Traylor and Wren note. "He made it official in a social media post Thursday, [July 24]. The [Trump] administration followed a similar playbook with Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who recently forewent the governor’s race…. On the Senate side, top White House officials held a private meeting with Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa last week, encouraging her to run for reelection as some Senate Republicans braced for the two-term senator to retire."

The Politico journalists add, "In Maine, a seat Democrats would have a better chance of winning than Iowa, the White House has proactively discussed potential candidates if Sen. Susan Collins elects to not run again, according to a second White House official also granted anonymity to discuss private conversations."

A Republican official, quoted anonymously, told Politico that GOP strategists want Republican voters to be thinking about Trump as much as possible in the midterms.

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According to the official, "One of the main strategies is to put Trump on the ballot in the midterms. We'll have a midterm agenda that we’re running on: not only here’s what we’ve done, but here's what we’re going to do next."

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