Republicans haven't really proven "that we can keep up with turnout in non-presidential years when Donald Trump is not on the ballot," which is concerning ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, says Scott Jennings, author of "A Revolution of Common Sense."
"It's one of the biggest tactical issues facing the Republican Party, Jennings told Newsmax's "Saturday Agenda," after Democrats swept to victory in Virginia and New Jersey governors' races, as well as in New York City's mayoral contest in the Nov. 4 elections.
"I think it's also true that we have the best salesman in the party sitting in the Oval Office, who really does have the capacity to go out and barnstorm the country and draw a bright line between voting for Republicans or voting for socialist Democrats," Jennings said.
"I expect him to do that. But am I worried? Yeah. Look, I'm an old political operative. Of course I'm worried. I mean, history would tell you the party out of power would normally do well.
"So, Republicans need to think hard about how to spend their time for the next year, less than a year now, and make an argument to the American people that we cannot follow the Democrats down this radical path that they're currently on."
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be up for grabs next year, as will 35 seats in the 100-member U.S. Senate.
Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress.
The midterm elections are still a year away, and both parties appear close to evenly matched on many fronts.
But Democrats' performance — including lower-profile victories in swing states Pennsylvania and Georgia — gave a boost of momentum to the party, which remains locked out of power in Washington after losing the presidency, the House, and the Senate a year ago to Trump's Republicans.
For Republicans, Tuesday's elections were an early warning sign that the party may struggle to mobilize Trump's coalition when he is not on the ballot.
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that problem in a social media post on Wednesday, saying Republicans must do a better job of turning out the less reliable voters that backed Trump in 2024.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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