EXCLUSIVE: Trump, affordability central to GOP midterm strategy

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(The Center Square) – Republican leaders are leaning into President Donald Trump, an affordability agenda and a midterm convention to maintain control of Congress heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

The Center Square spoke exclusively on Thursday with Republican National Committee chair Joe Guters about the party’s priorities in the midterm elections. He highlighted endorsements by Trump and an affordability-focused agenda as key aspects of campaigns to retain congressional control in the midterm elections.

Guters said Trump’s endorsement is key in races across the country that are tightly contested.

“That presidential endorsement is a big deal,” Guters told The Center Square. “We have superior resources, and then we have the best messaging that we could possibly have.”

Recent polling suggests voters are not satisfied with the affordability claims Trump is touting across the country. The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, found that 53% of registered voters believed the country was heading in the wrong direction.

Within the poll, 37% of voters said inflation and price increases was one of their main concerns, followed closely by 28% of voters who said they were also concerned about jobs and the economy. Across partisan lines, voters expressed concern about these issues with 40% of Independents, 37% of Republicans and 35% of Democrats highlighting inflation and price increases among the top issues.

Already, Trump has visited battleground states and districts from North Carolina, Georgia and Texas to drum up GOP support. Additionally, Guters pointed to the Republican’s planned midterm convention as a way to increase support and give candidates more exposure before the November elections.

“We’ll be going down and doing things that have never happened before,” Guters said. “A midterm convention where we could showcase all the great things that the President has done.”

Guters predecessor, Michael Whatley, is part of the fight to hold Republican’s congressional majorities. Whatley is running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina against former Gov. Roy Cooper.

At the end of 2025, Cooper had more than $12.3 million in cash on hand compared to Whatley with $3.2 million, The Center Square reported based on filings with the Federal Elections Commission.

RNC officials have scouted out Dallas as a possible location for the midterm convention, according to reports. RNC officials told The Center Square a location for the convention has not officially been determined.

Guters pointed out, in the history of the country, the opposition party typically wins control of Congress after a presidential election. However, he said he is determined to counter that trend.

“We have a real opportunity to defy history because of the messaging, the messenger, the president being wildly popular and his issues being popular,” Guters said. “We’re going to follow his lead all the way to victory in November."