RNC Chair to Newsmax: Tennessee Is the GOP Wall as Midterm Push Starts

Republican National Chair Joe Gruters is sounding an early alarm for the 2026 midterms, warning Tuesday on Newsmax that the GOP faces a steep historical disadvantage in off-cycle races and must reignite the massive voter base that has turned out repeatedly for President Donald Trump.

Gruters spoke on "Wake Up America" as voters in Tennessee's 7th congressional district head to the polls Tuesday for a closely watched special election.

The RNC chair said that the party in power is "two and 39 in off-cycle elections," underscoring how challenging next year's landscape will be without Trump's name at the top of the ballot.

The priority, he said, is to motivate the millions of voters who backed Trump three times to show up for congressional and down-ballot contests.

But he insisted that "the Republicans are going to win this race. I say Tennessee is the Republican wall. We start the midterms today. I think [Republican nominee Matt] Van Epps is one of the best candidates we've had in a long time. You know, he's a West Point grad, Army veteran, just has done a phenomenal job on the ground. You know, we were there all day yesterday with Speaker [Mike] Johnson. We had 7 or 8 stops."

Gruters added, "and there's energy. There's momentum. And [Democrat state Rep. Aftyn] Behn is a terrible candidate. She's our opposition research team's dream candidate because of all the stuff that they found. But she should be running in a district like New York City or one of these liberal blue states not in red Tennessee, where, obviously, like I said, it's the Republican wall."

Gruters argued that the stakes are clear: Democrats have already shown they are willing to block Trump's agenda through shutdowns, investigations, and procedural roadblocks.

Republican voters, he said, must be reminded that staying home in 2026 would hand Democrats the ability to obstruct the next administration's policies for years to come.

The chair said the GOP is preparing an aggressive turnout push, backed by strong fundraising, expanded ground operations, and Trump's commitment to "storm the country" to secure a governing majority.

"It's not going to be easy," Gruters acknowledged, "but we have the message, the momentum, and the mission. Now, we need the voters who believe in the president to show up again."