DOOMSDAY PREPPING

Republican Panic Explodes Over Catastrophic Secret Polls

Even candidates in strong red states are apparently not safe from voter backlash to Donald Trump.

Scores of House Republicans are preparing for the worst-case scenario after internal polling showed just how doomed the GOP could be in the midterms, according to a report.

Senior Republicans, House GOP leadership, and those involved in individual campaigns are in full panic mode after receiving damning numbers in late September that suggest even races in red areas of states President Donald Trump won by double digits in 2024 are in danger.

Sources told Politico the internal polling didn’t reveal the usual problems a ruling party faces in a midterm year but instead pointed to “close-to-catastrophic scenarios” in what should be considered safe red seats across the country.

“I think the scary part is we don’t know where the bottom is,” one senior House Republican told the outlet.

The Republican Party is widely expected to lose control of the House in the midterms, as the party in power has historically suffered major losses in the lower chamber and the GOP currently has only a razor-thin majority.

However, voter backlash against Trump’s turbulent second term, including the war in Iran and his dire handling of the economy, could mean that key House seats previously not considered at risk in states such as Kentucky, North Carolina, and Nevada could be in play for Democrats in November.

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Trump and the GOP’s midterm strategy suggest they are increasingly worried about losing red House seats, on top of facing challenges in key competitive races.

The president is spending a significant amount of time in the crucial run-up to the Nov. 3 elections campaigning for candidates in red states such as Texas and Oklahoma.

On Saturday, Trump will appear in Tennessee—a state he won in 2024 by 30 points—in GOP Rep. Matt Van Epps’ district. While Van Epps’ seat is still considered safe, some Republicans fear a shock could be in store because of intense backlash against the president.

“I’m worried about all three in the area,” one Tennessee Republican told Politico of the red-leaning districts. “Too many unknowns.”

Internal polling also shows that all three Republican candidates in Iowa—incumbent Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Joe Mitchell, the GOP candidate seeking to replace Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running for Senate—could lose their races.

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Other incumbents facing tighter-than-desired races include Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil, who won his 2024 election by 11 points, and Minnesota Rep. Brad Finstad, who won his district by 12 points in 2024.

“People that are in R+10 districts are showing [polling that] they’re tied and they’re saying, ‘I need help,’” a GOP operative working on a battleground House race told Politico. “There’s real opportunity for Democrats in a lot of these.”

A spokesperson for the Republican National Committee rejected suggestions that major panic was setting in ahead of the midterms.

“Anonymous strategists who spend more time bed-wetting to media than working in the trenches to win races have no idea what they’re talking about,” RNC spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre told Politico.

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National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella added: “House Republicans have a more favorable map, a stronger ground game, a historic fundraising and spending advantages, and battle-tested incumbents while Democrats are stuck dragging their unelectable socialist nominees across the finish line.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

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