Last year, President Donald Trump skillfully capitalized on voters concerns about the economy, immigration, and crime to recapture the White House and win the support of many other Republicans. However, that tactic might be more difficult to duplicate if the party attempts to maintain total control in Washington.
Over the past month, Republicans have lost a number of races, some of them decisively. The most recent defeat occurred this week when a Democrat was elected mayor of Miami for the first time in thirty years. Additionally, a special election in a historically Republican Georgia seat was won by Democrats.
Additionally, there are indications that Trump's power over his party is limited. On Thursday, he was unable to convince Indiana state senators to accept a new congressional map that would have given Republicans an additional two seats.
The fact that Trump is losing ground on the same themes that drove his comeback triumph last year may be the biggest worry for Republicans, as it might make him less useful as a stand-in for the party's candidates in the midterm elections.
According to a survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only 31% of American adults currently support his handling of the economy, compared to 40% in March.
Trump told Politico this week that he rated himself a "A++++..." on the economy, demonstrating his difficulty in acknowledging the public's concerns.
Regarding other topics that Trump has exploited, such as immigration and crime, the situation wasn't much better. Americans' acceptance of Trump's approach to crime has decreased to 43% from 53% just a few months ago, despite his tough law-and-order stance, which includes sending the National Guard to Washington and other Democratic-led cities.
Approval of Trump's handling of immigration, which has been his top objective since he began his political career ten years ago, fell from 49% in March to 38% at this point.
Republicans are monitoring the developments with a rising sense of anxiety and annoyance that the dynamics of Trump's first election, in which Democrats gained a net gain of 40 seats in 2018, could recur. Democrats are only a few seats away from regaining the House majority.
Sen. Jim Justice, a Republican from West Virginia, told reporters on Thursday, "If you're not concerned, then you're living in a cave."
"You're living in a cave if you're not keeping an eye on the frequent elections. As Republicans, we frequently struggle with our messaging. The Democrats are experts at it. We're not skilled at it."
It is impossible to forecast how the balance of power in Washington will change with almost a year until ballots are cast. In the past, during the first midterm following a presidential election, the party in power has lost seats in Congress.
However, since fewer districts are truly competitive due to redistricting and other voting patterns, the magnitude of the Democratic victories in 2018 may be difficult to duplicate.
Trump, for his part, continues to express public optimism about the party's future. "People want us to win the midterms, and I think we have great spirit," he remarked during a Wednesday event. "We should win the midterms."
Susie Wiles, his chief of staff, recently stated on a podcast that Trump will run a vigorous campaign the following year and that the party will essentially "put him on the ballot."
However, this week's trip to Pennsylvania, which was supposed to concentrate on fighting inflation, was overshadowed by complaints against immigrants from "filthy" nations, demonstrating the difficulty of that approach.
There are still more difficulties to overcome. Trump eventually agreed to a vote that demanded the release of the Jeffrey Epstein materials due to pressure from rogue Republicans.
Additionally, a number of measures that oppose Trump's Defense Department are included in legislation that was enacted this week.
In some of the most competitive congressional districts in the United States, a large number of Republicans running for office aren't separating themselves from Trump.
Washington state senator John Braun, who is running against Democrat Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, stated he wouldn't mind if Trump chose to come to the area.
Additionally, he approved of Vice President JD Vance's intention to expand his travel schedule. Braun was upfront about the difficulties facing Republicans going into 2026, even if he was upbeat about the party's prospects. According to him, the most common concern raised by voters is affordability.
"We have a lot of work to do and a lot of it's going to depend at the national level in particular on what Republicans do to affect the affordability issues," Braun stated. "People have a broad range of interests and concerns.
However, my main concern at the moment is how to provide for my family and myself in the current setting. Over the next eleven months, we must make the proper decisions.
Republicans in Congress felt strongly that the right things weren't occurring in Washington on Thursday. Voters' already-existing economic anxieties were exacerbated when the Senate denied an extension of health care subsidies, almost insuring millions of Americans would face a sharp increase in costs in January.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina who has decided not to run for reelection, stated that the current situation is much more dangerous for Republicans than the time leading up to the 2018 midterm elections, when the party failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in response to Democratic criticism of health care. He contended that voters weren't losing anything as they would in January, at least not during that discussion.
"Us failing to put something else in place did not create this cliff that people are going to encounter," Tillis stated. "That's the fundamental difference in an election year."
On Capitol Hill, a few Republicans voiced worry that the party is having trouble reaching voters. Additionally, others argued there might not be an effective message if there is no last-minute solution to stop the health care hike.
"If people suddenly pay thousands of dollars more for health care, I don't know what kind of messaging is going to matter in that circumstance," Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., said.
"It is what it is. We can then attempt to say, "Oh, it's either our fault or their fault." Unfortunately, it appears like a lot of the energy in this area is focused on that.
