The head of the Republican National Committee is not mincing words about his party's odds in the 2026 midterm elections.
“We are facing almost certain defeat," RNC Chair Joe Gruters said on a recent radio show.
“The chances are Republicans will go down and will go down hard," Gruters said in another radio show appearance.
"This is an absolute disaster. No matter what party is in power, they usually get crushed in the midterms," Gruters said on yet a third radio program—audio of which was on an RNC Soundcloud account but has since been removed after The Bulwark reported Gruters' doomsday remarks.
Of course, we agree with Gruters' assessment.
Democrats have overperformed in elections across the country in recent weeks. They have even flipped seats in areas Trump won by double digits in 2024, as voters turn out to voice their frustration with the fact that President Donald Trump and the GOP have not addressed the cost of living, which they promised to do.
Miami Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins, a Democrat, celebrates winning the city’s mayoral runoff election on Dec. 9.
Republicans were already sounding the alarm about the midterms, insisting Trump needs to change his messaging about the affordability crisis if the party is to have any chance at victory.
"Georgia Republicans, we need to sound the alarm from now until November," John King, the state’s insurance and safety fire commissioner, wrote in a post on X after his party lost a special election in a state House seat the party had easily won 2024. "Our donors aren’t motivated and our voters aren’t either. Of course we need to talk about why liberal policies are bad, but we also must put forward a clear agenda to lower prices and help working families keep more of what they earn."
Ultimately, Gruters' comments are unlikely to help the Republican Party in next fall. The GOP will be defending its congressional majorities, governorships in states like Georgia and Iowa, and state legislative contests.
His doomsday rhetoric is certainly unhelpful for fundraising. Why would people open their wallets for a lost cause?
It's also demoralizing for voters since why would the GOP base make the time and effort to go vote if they felt it was for nothing?
But who are we to stop Gruters from voicing his inner fears publicly?
Keep at it, Joe! You’re doing great, sweetie!
