RNC Chair Prediction: GOP Holds Senate, Makes Gains in House
As the midterm elections fast approach, Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters predicted the GOP will maintain its Senate majority and add seats in the House of Representatives.
Gruters said Wednesday that he expects Republicans to hold their current 53-47 edge in the upper chamber and keep a slim majority in the House with 220 seats, according to The Hill.
“But listen, I would say, ‘Bet on us.’ If you look at what we’ve done over the last two years, we have better candidates across the country in both the Senate and the House races, we have a lot more resources to spend,” he declared.
“And then we have our secret weapon and president, Donald J. Trump, and I say that because we’re going to barnstorm the country,” Gruters added. “We’re going to do lots of rallies … and we’re going to deliver for the American people.”
Despite negative polling numbers for President Donald Trump and uncertainty surrounding the Iran war, Democrats have failed to pull away due to anger within their own party and mid-decade redistricting.
CNN’s Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten commented this week on low approval numbers among Democratic leadership, saying, “They don’t like their own leaders. I daresay, they despise their own leaders.”
For Dem leaders, the call is coming from inside the house. Their own voters despise them.
Dem Cong leadership’s net approval with Dems is down 31 pts (to a negative 12 pts) from the last Trump Midterm.
Schumer at -5 pts is the least like Dem Senate leader among Dems on record! pic.twitter.com/HEeH3i6WFp
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) September 23, 2026
Enten went on to highlight numbers that showed Democrats’ net approval rating underwater, compared to 2018, when they won back the House during Trump’s first term.
He also cited the unpopularity of Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York as a main issue.
Republicans are still facing an uphill battle and have little room for error.
The GOP currently holds a 218-214 House majority, with one independent seat and two vacancies. As for the Senate, there are a number of seats this cycle that are in states where Trump defeated Kamala Harris in 2024, but polling has not been favorable for Republicans.
Two critical seats in Georgia and North Carolina have gone from toss-ups to “likely Democrat” and “lean Democrat,” respectively.
These races involve incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and an open seat in North Carolina, where former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has established himself as the front-runner.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott of South Carolina has surprisingly left these states off of his top target list, and is instead focusing on races in ruby-red states, along with several tossups.
The main focus will be on New Hampshire, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Alaska, and Texas.
Politico: NRSC Chair Tim Scott leaves Georgia, North Carolina off his list of top Senate targets
He told Senate Republicans Wednesday that the campaign arm will focus money on other targets including Maine, Ohio, Michigan, Alaska, Texas and New Hampshire.…
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) September 23, 2026
The fact that Republicans have to dump resources into states where Trump won handily various times has been cause for concern among GOP pundits and supporters.
Nevertheless, Trump and Republican leadership are pushing voters to pretend the president is on the ballot, and have cited their fundraising advantages as a huge asset.
When Gruters was asked about certain candidates distancing themselves from the commander in chief, he said, “You lean into the policies that this president has pushed, and you’ll win.”
“We think what the president’s delivered in terms of messaging standpoint, we think it’s a winner,” he concluded.
At a rally in North Carolina last week, Trump said, “If we lose [the midterms], you’re going to lose your border. You’re going to lose your tax cuts. You’re going to lose your wealth,” he declared. “And our country is going to go through hell. And we’re going to be a laughingstock all over the world, just as we were two years ago.”
The president also addressed the war in Iran and rising energy costs, promising a drop in gas prices, along with a victory in the Middle East this fall.
“And you watch what’s going to happen in Iran,” he said. “It’s going to be a really good conclusion … I say it’s going to be a little bit after the election, but maybe not. Maybe it’s before the election. But when you look at where it is, we have the [Strait of Hormuz] open.”
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
