Republicans spooked by string of disappointing elections
by Julia Manchester - 12/12/25 6:00 AM ET
Republicans are feeling spooked by recent special elections losses and underperformances in party strongholds, as the White House ramps up President Trump’s presence on the campaign trail ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
On Tuesday, Democrats flipped Miami’s mayoral office for the first time in nearly 30 years and won a conservative-leaning state House district in Georgia that Trump carried by 12 points last year.
Those victories came after Republicans gave up ground to Democrats in a special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District last week and lost by wide margins in Virginia and New Jersey’s gubernatorial races last month.
Republicans note that while the off-year gubernatorial losses were not necessarily a surprise, upsets in GOP strongholds like Miami and the Georgia state House district have them on edge.
“Republicans losing in Republican areas? That’s a different story. I think that’s got people freaking out,” said one former Trump White House staffer.
Another source close to the White House told The Hill, “There’s a lot of digging our heads in the sand and acting as if we don’t have a five-alarm fire going off.
“I’ve been in a lot of conversations where people are wondering where the hell the RNC is and local in-state GOP parties,” the source said, referring to the Republican National Committee (RNC). “I’m worried that way too many people are still celebrating the victory of Donald Trump and forgetting that we still have other races to win.”
The RNC strongly pushed back on this notion, citing its ongoing partnership with the White House.
“The RNC works hand-in-glove with the White House every day to advance the President’s historic agenda that is making life more affordable for American families,” said the committee’s national press secretary, Kiersten Pels. “We remain laser-focused on winning the midterms in 2026 so that we can deliver a full four-year term to President Trump for the American people.”
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5645435-republicans-spooked-election-outcomes/