Congressional Republicans are reportedly in a state of panic over the upcoming midterm elections, with some candidates admitting that President Donald Trump's continued focus on himself and issues like the Iran war have become significant liabilities. MS NOW reporter Mychael Schnell stated that many Republicans have lost hope that the Iran war will conclude before the midterms, and some now anticipate losing key races as a direct consequence.
Schnell noted on "The Weekend" that the sense of urgency has intensified, as there is no clear end in sight for the Iran war and gas prices remain high. "The feeling right now is that we’re, what, 30 days out from the midterms, there’s no sign of the Iran war ending anytime soon, no sign of an off-ramp. So Republicans are kind of coming to the realization that this is not ending," she said.
This sentiment is echoed by internal Republican concerns. Schnell previously reported that one House Republican, speaking anonymously, stated, "We’re gonna get crushed. The only question is by how much." This lawmaker attributed the potential losses to high food and gas prices, issues that directly affect voters.
Trump, who had vowed to boost the economy and avoid foreign entanglements during his 2024 re-election campaign, has instead presided over rising inflation and initiated a costly war, contributing to a significant drop in his approval ratings. His strategy of making the midterms a referendum on his presidency, while potentially effective in other cycles, appears to be backfiring given his current polling numbers.
Schnell observed, "And the president’s message has been, ‘Pretend like I’m on the ballot,’ right? That may be fine, well and good in a different election cycle where the president still knows how to turn out his voters and still has his grip. But look at his polls."
This growing realization is prompting some Republican candidates to distance themselves from the president. Axios congressional reporter Kate Santaliz predicted this trend will continue in the remaining weeks before the election, stating, "We’ve seen a few people move, especially over the last few weeks. So I guess over the next five weeks we will see potentially some more Republicans try to distance themselves from the president on issues that they view him as a liability on, like this Iran war."