Republicans fear losing the Senate in the November elections

Republican senators worry that public backlash to President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy and his tough deportation policies for illegal immigrants could lead to a Democratic wave that not only dislodges the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, but also threatens their majority in the Senate.

The final alarm bells sounded over the weekend, when Democratic candidate Taylor Rehmt won a Senate seat in North Texas, a state that President Trump won by 17 points in 2024, a loud upset that Republican senators say should serve as a “wake-up call” before the November elections.

One Republican senator who attended a briefing last Tuesday at the National Republican Senatorial Committee said: “The anxiety about the approaching midterm elections should be very intense.”

The lawmaker, who preferred to remain anonymous, described last week’s loss in the special election in Texas as a “wake-up call.”

He said, “Republican senators in the disputed states, such as Senator Susan Collins, in Maine, and retired Senator Thom Tillis, in North Carolina, have repeatedly warned their colleagues in the Senate that the party is facing a deteriorating political environment.”

He added, regarding discussions within the Republican Party conference about the “political headwinds” facing the Republican Party candidates: “Senators are saying louder and louder that they are very concerned about the overall electoral situation, and that the situation continues to deteriorate. “They repeat this over and over again.”

Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, described Rehmet’s 14-point victory in Tarrant County, despite his Republican rival spending huge sums of money, as a “tough night.”

“This underscores the need for Republican voter turnout in November,” Cruz warned.

Republicans believe that they have a good chance of retaining control of the Senate, but they do not rule out the possibility that the Democratic wave will grow to such a large extent that it will lead Democrats to win states that tend to be Republican, such as (Ohio, Alaska, and perhaps Iowa). Senate Republicans control a majority of 53 seats, which means Democrats need a net gain of four seats to regain control of the Senate.

A second Republican senator, who requested anonymity, told The Hill newspaper, “Voters from across the political spectrum are dissatisfied with Trump’s handling of the economy and inflation, and that a growing number of independents are dissatisfied with the harsh deportation policy pursued by his administration in Minneapolis.”

“Republicans are right to be concerned about the midterm elections,” the lawmaker said. “You can feel it when the mood of voters changes, and it seems like change is going to happen.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, added: “Republicans should do more to talk about their efforts to cut taxes and reduce regulations to stimulate economic growth.”

“I’m not taking any of these elections lightly,” Thune added, after Republican senators received a briefing on this year’s Senate elections. “I think what happened in Texas is something that should draw our attention and remind us that we need to do better and do better, not only by delivering for the American people, but also by being able to deliver this message.”

Meanwhile, Republican Senators said that National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott was careful at Tuesday’s meeting not to appear too concerned about GOP senators’ chances in November, but they said he privately expressed to them his concern about the trend of recent polls. About “The Hill”