Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Republicans could lose Senate control; polls, despite margin caveats, point to a strong Democratic midterm cycle. GOP candidates counter with culture-war attacks, Trump loyalty, selective breaks or campaign websites omitting him.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott campaigned against a proposed mosque-anchored housing development outside Dallas and what he called the imposition of Islamic law. Alabama gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville called Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed a “terrorist” and “radical Islamist”; other Republicans labeled Medicare for All and Democratic immigration policies “communist.”
In competitive races, Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers and Iowa Senate nominee Ashley Hinson called for ending the Iran war, citing fuel and grocery prices, despite previously supporting it. Ohio Sen. Jon Husted sponsored legislation to make data centers pay their own utility bills. By contrast, South Texas candidate Eric Flores praised Trump’s border policies, and Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Republicans would grow their House majority.
