2026 Midterms (2 Viewers)

[Optimus Prime]

President Trump's team has launched an early and aggressive behind-the-scenes effort to maintain the GOP's tenuous grip on the House in 2026 — and avoid his third impeachment.

Why it matters: Trump allies believe — with good reason — that a Democrat-controlled House would launch investigations of the president and move to impeach him. That's exactly what happened after Democrats seized the chamber during Trump's first term.

• Midterm elections are historically tough for the party occupying the White House, and senior Republicans privately acknowledge that retaining the speaker's gavel won't be easy.

The twice-impeached Trump "knows the stakes firsthand. He saw what can happen. It's clear he doesn't want that again," said Matt Gorman, a top official for House Republicans' campaign arm in the 2018 midterms.

• "Investigations, impeachment — he knows it's all on the table with a Speaker [Hakeem] Jeffries."
• Already, some Democrats have signaled they want to investigate Trump's overhaul of the U.S. government, whether he manipulated markets and fostered insider trading with his tariff announcements, and whether he's helped Elon Musk secure deals for Starlink.
• Then there's that $400 million jet from Qatar. Democrats and other critics say Trump violated the Constitution by accepting the gift.

Zoom in: Here are five steps Trump's taking to try to keep Republican control of the House, where the GOP has an eight-seat majority — including vacancies created this year by the deaths of three Democrats.

1. Trying to prevent retirements

The White House is targeting several Republicans in politically divided swing districts and urging them to not ditch their seats or run for higher office.

• It has sent a clear message to New York Rep. Mike Lawler that Trump wants him to stay in the House rather than run for governor. This month Trump made a point of endorsing Lawler for re-election to his southern New York district, which Kamala Harris won in the presidential election last November.
• Trump's team also has expressed concern about Michigan Rep. Bill Huizenga weighing a run for the Senate.

Incumbent lawmakers with established fundraising and campaigning networks are almost always better positioned to win than any challengers.

• Vacant seats also cost the party big bucks. Trump's allies have been passing around a spreadsheet with cost estimates to compete in the seats of 16 members if they depart. Among the estimated price tags: As much as $14 million for Lawler's seat and $3.7 million for Huizenga's.

Trump's team hasn't been totally successful in dissuading ambitious lawmakers from jumping ship.

• Michigan Rep. John James opted to run for governor. Trump is worried about the GOP's chances of keeping James' seat on the state's eastern shore, according to a person familiar with the president's thinking.
• The White House also is worried about retaining the central Kentucky seat held by Rep. Andy Barr, who's running for Senate. Trump won Barr's district by 15 points in November, but Democrats hold an edge in registered voters there.

2. Spending big

Trump has built a $500 million-plus political apparatus, and he's already unloading some of it with 2026 in mind.

• Securing American Greatness, a pro-Trump group that works with the White House, has launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign touting his economic agenda in the districts of eight vulnerable House Republicans.
• The commercials also are airing in 13 districts where Trump won in November, but House GOP candidates lost

• Trump also has a leadership PAC, Never Surrender, planning to give directly to Republican candidates.

3. Taking primary challengers off the table

Besides Lawler, Trump has endorsed a slate of swing-district GOP incumbents in a series of moves aimed at shutting down would-be primary challengers before they get off the ground, people close to the president tell Axios.

• Top Republicans are worried that competitive primaries could drain the party's resources and weaken lawmakers in next year's general election.

The endorsements by Trump followed a recent meeting involving the president, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) chair Richard Hudson, and Georgia Rep. Brian Jack, a former Trump aide.

• Trump proposed endorsing vulnerable Republicans early to ward off primary challenges and Johnson agreed, according to a person familiar with the discussion.
• Corry Bliss, who formerly led a pro-House GOP super PAC, said Trump's popularity among Republican voters is likely to stop many potential primary challengers in their tracks............

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/trump-5-steps-gop-house-2026

 

[DaveXA]

Would you not also have to impeach cabinet officers and wouldn’t those impeachments require the same 2/3rds majority in the Senate?

Of course you might be able to put so much pressure on them they would be forced to resign or POTUS may fire them. Maybe this is what you mean as far as holding the cabinet accountable?

I mean, hopefully they step down or get forced out before impeachment, but certainly impeachment would still be on the table. They’re not likely going to get the same amount of support on the R side as Trump would. And also keep in mind that hearings being public, they likely get forced out before that becomes public if it’s bad enough.

 

[faceman]

Would you not also have to impeach cabinet officers and wouldn’t those impeachments require the same 2/3rds majority in the Senate?

Of course you might be able to put so much pressure on them they would be forced to resign or POTUS may fire them. Maybe this is what you mean as far as holding the cabinet accountable?

Yes, removing a cabinet member requires a 2/3 vote in the Senate. I'm assuming you knew
that though.

 

[MT15]

From a fund-raising email today.

A new poll dropped today, and it’s the third poll in a row showing James leading John Cornyn AND Ken Paxton.

Texas Public Opinion Research April Poll
James Talarico: 46%
Ken Paxton: 41%

James Talarico: 44%
John Cornyn: 41%

 

[SamAndreas]

Would you not also have to impeach cabinet officers and wouldn’t those impeachments require the same 2/3rds majority in the Senate?

Of course you might be able to put so much pressure on them they would be forced to resign or POTUS may fire them. Maybe this is what you mean as far as holding the cabinet accountable?

Kammla Harris will fire them.

 

[DaveXA]

Kammla Harris will fire them.

Not happening, lol.

 

[LA 2 L.A.]

It’s not about immediate gratification, at all. It’s about bashing your head in doing the same thing and expecting different results.

You are immediate results driven. I am long term results driven. Neither is wrong, just different. I think letting Trump slide on impeachable offenses keeps us heading down the path of unchecked corruption and we'll be worse off for it in the long term.

I just think running impeachment hearings for Trump when they could better spend their time going after his Cabinet, particularly those in the intel agencies.

They could and should go hand in hand in my opinion.

 

[Taurus]

You are immediate results driven. I am long term results driven. Neither is wrong, just different. I think letting Trump slide on impeachable offenses keeps us heading down the path of unchecked corruption and we'll be worse off for it in the long term.


They could and should go hand in hand in my opinion.

I mean, Congress isn't getting diddly done, regardless. So why not?

Especially if they can make it related to Epstein. I have to hope that child molestation counts as a "high crime".

 

[Optimus Prime]

Democrats’ hopes of winning control of the US Senate in November’s midterm elections have been boosted by a poll showing James Talarico, the party’s candidate in Texas, leading in a head-to-head matchup against two potential Republican opponents.

The Texas Public Opinion Research (TPOR) survey has Talarico, a Democratic state legislator, ahead of the GOP incumbent senator, John Cornyn, and his internal party challenger, Ken Paxton, in one-on-one contests.

According to the poll, which surveyed the intentions of 1,865 likely voters, Talarico has a three point lead – 44% to 41% over Cornyn, who has been a senator since 2002 and served four consecutive terms.


Talarico, a former seminarian who has made a point of fusing his Christian values with progressive policies, has a five point lead, 46% to 41%, in a hypothetical contest with Paxton, the Texas attorney general who has gained a reputation as a conservative firebrand and been embroiled in controversy after misconduct charges led to him being impeached in 2023.

Cornyn and Paxton face each other in a primary runoff election on 26 May before one will appear on November’s ballot.…..

Texas Democrat Talarico leads senator Cornyn and AG Paxton in Senate race poll

TPOR poll of 1,018 likely voters puts Talarico ahead of John Cornyn by three percentage points and Ken Paxton by five

www.theguardian.com

 

[SamAndreas]

I mean, Congress isn't getting diddly done, regardless. So why not?

Especially if they can make it related to Epstein. I have to hope that child molestation counts as a "high crime".

No, that's a low crime, reaching up and tweaking the 'kings' snout is the "high crime."