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

 

[MT15]

Thanks for the info. Considering the large Hispanic populations in Texas, I figured there'd be much more disruption.

It’s the white people who are disrupting basically. The white people in TX probably like what ICE is doing. This is just my quick thought anyway.

A lot of the churches in MN are leading the way, think traditional Protestant and Catholic Churches. Mega evangelical churches in TX are all MAGA.

 

[Rysilk]

Thanks for the info. Considering the large Hispanic populations in Texas, I figured there'd be much more disruption.

Again, I am not defending everything about ICE or recent actions. I've been on both sides (I fully believe the Renee shooting was justified, but the Piretti one I don't think was), and I am not trying to go all conspiracy theory here, but there is at least some modicum of truth to the fact that the reason you don't hear about disruptions, at least on a large scale impact, in red states is that again, local and state law enforcement are cooperating with ICE and DHS. Therefore there is no need for ICE to get heavy handed and force the situations, therefore no real spark of outrage.

I am not in any way using that as a justification for EVERYTHING that is currently happening, but it would be dishonest to not acknowledge it as part of the problem. I think for the most part ICE and DHS when state and local law enforcement cooperates, then they are acting just fine, no different from under Biden or Obama. However, I think that when they are NOT getting the cooperation, then they are reacting extremely too hostile in bullying through the situation and are taking it way too far and at that point lose the high ground defense for sure.

And just like every other group of people, paid agitators make things worse and paint a bad picture of the good hearted, good intention protestors. The onus should be on the "professional" officers, but with the current training requirements or lack thereof, a lot of bad apples don't have the patience or mental fortitude to rise above it, let alone people like Noem or Trump whose headstones will read "Deny Deny Deny" rather than the ability to say "Oops, our bad" once in a while.

 

[faceman]

Again, I am not defending everything about ICE or recent actions. I've been on both sides (I fully believe the Renee shooting was justified, but the Piretti one I don't think was), and I am not trying to go all conspiracy theory here, but there is at least some modicum of truth to the fact that the reason you don't hear about disruptions, at least on a large scale impact, in red states is that again, local and state law enforcement are cooperating with ICE and DHS. Therefore there is no need for ICE to get heavy handed and force the situations, therefore no real spark of outrage.

I am not in any way using that as a justification for EVERYTHING that is currently happening, but it would be dishonest to not acknowledge it as part of the problem. I think for the most part ICE and DHS when state and local law enforcement cooperates, then they are acting just fine, no different from under Biden or Obama. However, I think that when they are NOT getting the cooperation, then they are reacting extremely too hostile in bullying through the situation and are taking it way too far and at that point lose the high ground defense for sure.

And just like every other group of people, paid agitators make things worse and paint a bad picture of the good hearted, good intention protestors. The onus should be on the "professional" officers, but with the current training requirements or lack thereof, a lot of bad apples don't have the patience or mental fortitude to rise above it, let alone people like Noem or Trump whose headstones will read "Deny Deny Deny" rather than the ability to say "Oops, our bad" once in a while.

Just curious why you feel the Goode shooting was justified? The ICE agent didn't follow proper protocol on the use
of deadly force outlined by the DOJ. He should have never placed himself in front of a vehicle. That's standard training.
Vide clearly shows the wheels turned to the right before she drove away as well. A properly trained officer would have looked
for that,

 

[Heathen]

I think the outrage that is building about this Administration is going to backfire with whatever evil plans they have for the midterms and the next Pres election.

FBI executes search warrant at Fulton County elections office near Atlanta

FBI agents are executing a search warrant at the Fulton County elections office near Atlanta

www.wsbtv.com

They could use it to claim they found mislabeled ballots that people had purposefully miscounted or counted for Biden.

Then use it as an excuse to police the ballot boxes and conduct other raids

Building their own narrative to ensure brown folks are terrified to vote this November, and trying everything they can to be able to easily raid locations they think they'll lose

All of it is on purpose. To protect a pedophile president.

 

[MT15]

Just curious why you feel the Goode shooting was justified? The ICE agent didn't follow proper protocol on the use
of deadly force outlined by the DOJ. He should have never placed himself in front of a vehicle. That's standard training.
Vide clearly shows the wheels turned to the right before she drove away as well. A properly trained officer would have looked
for that,

Not to mention the 2 shots (which were the fatal ones) occurred after she was past him and posed zero danger to him or anyone else. Those two were just murder.

 

[Heathen]

 

[J-DONK]

They could use it to claim they found mislabeled ballots that people had purposefully miscounted or counted for Biden.

Then use it as an excuse to police the ballot boxes and conduct other raids

Building their own narrative to ensure brown folks are terrified to vote this November, and trying everything they can to be able to easily raid locations they think they'll lose

All of it is on purpose. To protect a pedophile president.

I'm call this now. This will be some scheme used to try and have federal oversight of the midterms.

 

[LA 2 L.A.]

I'm call this now. This will be some scheme used to try and have federal oversight of the midterms.

Pardon me for adding, they'll only try to get federal oversight in states controlled by Democrats.

 

[Taurus]

Pardon me for adding, they'll only try to get federal oversight in states controlled by Democrats.

In districts a Dem might win.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them in my area. Perez is vulnerable

 

[faceman]

This is a state seat in Texas,but very telling. It's one of the 5 new districts drawn up. It took part
of a blue district to make the new one. The plan for all 5 seats to go Red has backfired.

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/01/nx-s1-5695678/democrat-taylor-rehmet-wins-texas-state-senate-seat

 

[MT15]

Just in case anyone is thinking the Dem candidate in TX outspent the GOP candidate.

 

[J-DONK]

Just in case anyone is thinking the Dem candidate in TX outspent the GOP candidate.

Some of the latino areas swung 50 points over 2024.

 

[Optimus Prime]

 

[faceman]

Some of the latino areas swung 50 points over 2024.

67% in the Miami's mayor race. I wonder why lol

 

[MT15]

Somebody asked this question, I think. More analysis from the TX Senate special election.

 

[Taurus]

Somebody asked this question, I think. More analysis from the TX Senate special election.

That's what I was looking for. So a swing, but not a huge one for GOP voters. Independents are the ones who kicked the Republican candidate to the curb.

 

[efil4]

That's what I was looking for. So a swing, but not a huge one for GOP voters. Independents are the ones who kicked the Republican candidate to the curb.

You aren't going to see deep red voters condemn a local candidate over Trump. They simply won't do it.

But independents are roundly holding his policies in account when deciding.

My fear is we are peaking. That the admin will "slow" their agenda enough to give impression they are listening to constituents only as a ruse to garner votes for Nov and return to business as usual post election.

Can't fall for it. They arent changing and need to keep this in mind come November.

 

[superchuck500]

Trump making ominous (and unconstitutional) comments about nationalizing voting and what may be coming of these Georgia shenanigans.