During Sunday’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s Sunday Night in America, former Bush White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove assessed the Republican Party’s chances of retaking the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections. Rove said the map is favorable overall but warned that key battlegrounds could stretch GOP resources.
Host Trey Gowdy noted several upcoming retirements, including Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), along with prominent Republicans like Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp passing on Senate runs. Gowdy asked whether the Senate had lost its allure.
Rove responded, “Yes, I think that’s right. And, you know, the Senate map, fortunately for the Republicans, is good. That is to say, most of the seats that are up next year are in red states, where the likelihood of… winning the Senate race in Idaho for the Democrats is very small. But yes, it is a sign of people’s exhaustion with the way politics is conducted today, and we’re going to lose some good people as a result.”
Rove said GOP attention will be divided between defending and expanding seats. He pointed to the open seat in North Carolina, where Republican registration is growing but the number of unaffiliated voters is increasing at a much faster pace. “That’s a problem,” he warned, saying the GOP must make its case to independents to win.
He also highlighted Georgia and Michigan as critical targets where Republicans must work to defeat incumbent Democrats. “The electorate next year that the Republicans and Democrats are both going to be focused on are people who are up for grabs,” Rove explained, stressing that whichever party appeals best to swing voters will gain the advantage.
