Ed Kilgore: “This very week, Trump is campaigning in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Ohio — states he carried by 30 percent, 34 percent and 11 percent just two years ago. Yes, there are vulnerable House seats in Alabama and Oklahoma, but that’s a sign of how deep a hole the GOP has dug for itself.”
“A trip to Ohio is arguably more justifiable; there are highly endangered but still winnable Senate and House races along with a close gubernatorial contest (featuring his occasional sidekick Vivek Ramaswamy). But time spent in any red state (including Iowa and Texas, where there are an extraordinary number of ‘fires’ scorching Republican candidates) is time denied in purple states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.”
“The 2026 midterms are to a very dangerous extent being fought on the home turf of the president’s party, leaving too much highly contested ground uncovered.”
