Says the returning chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee President-elect Trump The convincing White House win in 2024 gives the GOP a big home-field advantage as the party looks to defend its razor-thin majority in the 2026 midterm elections.
“The battlefield is really to our advantage. There are 14 Democrats who won seats that Donald Trump also held. There are only three Republicans in seats that Kamala Harris held. So that tells me we’re going to go on the offensive.” National Republican Congressional Caucus emphasized Representative Richard Hudson in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
Trump won all seven key battleground states and won the national popular vote for the first time in three presidential elections when he defeated Vice President Harris last month.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, December 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Republicans also gave Democrats control of the Senate, even though they lost a total of two Senate seats 435-member House of Representatives, They will have a fragile 220-215 majority when the new Congress meets next month.
Eight years ago, when Trump won the White House for the first time and Republicans retained their majority in the House, Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections targeted about two dozen Republicans in districts that Trump lost in the 2016 election.
The Democrats managed to flip the majority in the House of Representatives in an election with a blue wave.
Eight years later, it’s a different story, because this time Republicans will be defending seats on friendly terrain in districts that the president-elect held.
“We have a lot more ability to go on offense,” emphasized Hudson, who has represented a congressional district in central North Carolina for a dozen years.
THE CHAIR OF THE SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE STATES HIS MISSION FOR 2026
Hudson also argued that House Republicans, who will again be targeted by Democrats in the coming election cycle, are “truly battle-tested.” I mean, these are people who have been through fire before. They have gone through several cycles now with millions of dollars being spent against them.
“They have been able to be successful because they work very hard in their districts. They have, as you know, built very strong brands, people who know how to get things done and how to contribute to the community,” he emphasized. “The Republicans who are in difficult positions are our best candidates.”
The three House Republicans in the districts Harris picked last month are Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York.
Now President-elect Donald Trump greets Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
But there will be one big difference in 2026: Trump, who helped bring low-propensity voters to the polls this year, will not be on the ballot in the 2026 midterm elections.
“I would definitely rather have him on the ballot because he produces voters who are not committed to other candidates,” Hudson admitted.
But he argued: “If you look at the way this race is unfolding, we campaigned on a number of important issues that we promised we would deliver on. If we implement these things and have Donald Trump campaigning with our candidates, I believe we can turn out a higher percentage of those voters than we have done in midterm elections in the past.”
Hudson said Trump has been “a great partner” for House Republicans this year and will be there again in the upcoming election cycle.
“(Trump) cares deeply about having a majority in the House because he realizes that a Democratic majority in the House means his agenda will stall. That’s why he was very committed, was a very good partner for us in the last election, and I expect that to continue.”
Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital in Washington, DC on December 11, 2024 (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Hudson, who is taking over as chairman of the NRCC for the second consecutive term, said recruiting candidates and fundraising are high on his committee’s to-do list.
“I mean, the first thing we have to do is go out and recruit candidates. You know, the quality of candidates is important. And then we have to raise the money. And so I’m going to be out there and out there.” “But I’m looking forward to helping our incumbents,” he emphasized.
Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this report
Editor’s note: Fox News Digital also interviewed Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Suzan DelBene of Washington. This report will be published on Friday.
