Stung by Democrats’ wins in Virginia and New Jersey on November 4, Republican officials in multiple battlegrounds are urging President Donald Trump to spend more time on the trail ahead of the 2026 midterms. Trump’s team has signaled he plans to be more active, while stressing that candidates must still connect with voters.
Republican operatives and state party leaders say the president’s presence remains a uniquely powerful motivator for irregular GOP voters as control of Congress again hangs on a slim margin next year. While the exact count has shifted with vacancies and special elections, Republicans currently hold a narrow House majority, underscoring why both parties view 2026 as a fight decided at the margins, according to recent assessments from nonpartisan and wire-service outlets.
According to Politico, requests for Trump rallies are already arriving from candidates and state chairs who want help energizing base voters after Democrats’ decisive victories on November 4. In Virginia, Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the governorship by a double‑digit margin over Republican Winsome Earle‑Sears, becoming the state’s first female governor. In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli by a wide margin to become the state’s next governor. Those results have fueled GOP worries about off‑year and midterm drop‑off among Trump‑aligned voters.
In Wisconsin, state GOP chair Brian Schimming told Politico he wants Trump to visit the perennial battleground and said Trump’s team is aware of the request. Wisconsin was among Trump’s narrowest wins in 2024, and party officials there consider it a key House battleground in 2026. Schimming has publicly described Wisconsin as a true purple state and emphasized the value of high‑profile visits in recent cycles.
Republican Matt Van Epps, running in a December 2 special election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, has asked for an in‑person Trump rally after the president headlined a tele‑rally last week. Van Epps previously won his primary with Trump’s backing and has framed the race around support for the president’s agenda. Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden has also asked Trump to campaign with him in western Wisconsin, Politico reported.
Interviews Politico conducted with more than a dozen GOP chairs, strategists and operatives across Rust Belt and Sun Belt states described Trump as a singular turnout driver for the MAGA base, even as statewide approval numbers often run against him in swing areas. “Trump is the ace in the hole,” Tom Eddy, the Republican chair in Erie County, Pennsylvania, told Politico, pointing to Democratic wins in local races there this month.
Some Republicans argue the president’s light personal footprint in the off‑year races compounded the problem. Trump largely skipped in‑person events in Virginia and New Jersey, opting for phoned‑in tele‑rallies. Afterward, he publicly blamed factors such as the lingering government shutdown and structural dynamics, while allies also grumbled about candidate quality in certain races, according to post‑election coverage.
Turnout patterns fed the anxiety. Local analyses in Virginia indicated comparatively strong participation in Democratic‑leaning suburbs and lagging turnout in some rural Republican areas—consistent with the broader challenge of motivating irregular GOP voters without Trump on the ballot. That pattern helps explain why state and local Republicans are intensifying early‑vote programs and economic messaging aimed at less‑frequent voters.
James Blair, Trump’s political director, told Politico’s The Conversation podcast that the president intends to be more active in the 2026 midterms, with widespread endorsements in House and Senate contests and closer coordination with GOP committees. Blair added that “candidates still have to connect with these voters,” a nod to concerns that national energy alone won’t solve local turnout gaps. Politico also reported that senior Trump advisers, including strategist Chris LaCivita and pollster Tony Fabrizio, are expected to assist select campaigns’ efforts.
Republicans say their focus between now and next fall is twofold: keep the base engaged—particularly in non‑presidential cycles where GOP turnout has sagged—and persuade swing voters who powered Democratic wins this month. Whether Trump’s stepped‑up presence can bridge that gap will be tested quickly in special elections and then nationally in 2026.
