Scoop: Senate GOP freezing out House lawmakers ahead of 2026

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is urging big-dollar donors to freeze out ambitious House lawmakers from jumping into 2026 Senate races.Why it matters: GOP party leaders know stemming retirements in 2025 is a big part of keeping the House in 2026.Plus, NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) wants to avoid messy primaries.Anyone looking to fund GOP Senate races in Texas and Michigan should only give to Sen. John Cornyn and former Rep. Mike Rogers, NRSC political director Brendan Jaspers told national donors Tuesday on a conference call.🎯 The real targets of the call weren't on the line, and they weren't mentioned by name.But the implication was clear: Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) and Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) should not be thinking about the Senate.The emphasis on Cornyn also sends a message against helping Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has announced a primary challenge."No other candidates for Senate in these states, declared or posturing, should receive financial support from the donor and PAC communities until they have made the smart decision to remain in the House and defend the president's margins there," Jaspers said, according to a person familiar with the call.An NRSC spokesperson, Joanna Rodriguez, did not dispute Jasper's private comments."Leader Thune and Chairman Scott have been clear that the NRSC's goal is to protect President Trump's Majority in the Senate, and they know Mike Rogers and John Cornyn are the best candidates to do that in their respective races," she said.Zoom out: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his top political lieutenants, NRCC chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.), met with President Trump on Monday at the White House.Hours later, the president endorsed several House candidates.Johnson is acutely aware retirements could decimate his ranks and make his job of retaining the speakership that much harder.What they're saying: "My preference, of course, is everybody stays, and we get the job done together," Johnson told Axios on Wednesday during an exclusive News Shapers interview."But I don't begrudge anyone for seeking a higher office — governor or senator."And there'll be some folks who retire. It's just inevitable in the cycle," he said."I'm in the candidate recruitment phase right now, so we're working to recruit high-quality folks to run."Editor's note: This article has been updated with comments by the NRSC.

Comments

World news

Russian soldier blown up trying to catch a drone as Ukraine launches massive aerial attack

Comments

Similar News

Scoop: U.S. and Israel near agreement on aid delivery to Gaza

Scoop: Trump coins spark Democratic feud over crypto legislation

Scoop: Rubio looks to cut security coordinator role for West Bank, Gaza

Scoop: 87-year-old Holmes Norton Holmes Norton passes on Oversight bid after talk with leadership

Scoop: GOP poll shows Medicaid messaging risks

Scoop: Trump releasing 2026 budget tomorrow

Scoop: White House launches Drudge-style website to promote Trump

Scoop: Pro-Paxton group courts Trump with anti-Cornyn ad

MTG scooped up plummeting stocks during market chaos sparked by Trump tariffs

World news

Russian soldier blown up trying to catch a drone as Ukraine launches massive aerial attack

Spanish holiday hotspot loved by Brits now gangster's paradise with crime rife

Grievances and forgiveness were both on display in Prince Harry's raw TV interview

Thousands of Islamists rally in Bangladesh against proposed changes to women's rights

A notorious drug gang is in the crosshairs of a French police investigation of prison attacks

Marco Rubio criticized Germany. The foreign ministry hit back

Chimney installed on roof of Sistine Chapel ahead of conclave to elect new pope

Did our politics fail us during Covid?

Why the Karen Read retrial might end differently this time

What the worst first dates all have in common

Australian PM Anthony Albanese wins re-election

BBC courts David Attenborough for Blue Planet III

Let’s be Frank: Brentford are peaking at just the right time

Scoop: Trump to hold summit with Gulf leaders during Saudi Arabia trip

Early vote count favors Australia's government being reelected for a second term

Druse in Syrian Town Rocked by Violence Agree to Disarm Militias

Scientist bitten by deadly snakes 200 TIMES helps create ‘unparalleled’ anti-venom to save thousands of lives

Donald Trump posts bizarre AI picture of him as POPE after joking he would be ‘top choice’ for next Pontiff

China finally reveals how Covid-19 started – and it's all America's fault

Mothers with newborns forced to leave children behind in India as diplomatic row with Pakistan deepens

The little-known disorder that causes RFK Jr.’s raspy voice

Labor wins Australia election as ‘Trump factor’ swings voters

Tourist taking selfie with ‘fake’ crocodile realises his mistake the hard way

Reform UK in bid to shed ‘boys’ club’ image with election of high-profile women

A watershed moment for the NHS this week – but did anyone actually notice?

Ibiza and Majorca holiday flights cut demanded by islands' government in war on tourists

'The truckers are scrambling': Trump's tariffs hit drivers, L.A. port workers hard

Fired federal prosecutor claims ex-Fatburger CEO's 'smears' reached White House

Tariffs on car parts entering the US come into force

Tunisia jails ex-prime minister on terrorism charges

Captive-bred axolotls thrive in Mexican wetlands, researchers find

After Leading a Liberal Comeback, Carney Hits the Ground Running

Cardinal Parolin, Leader of Papal Conclave, Is Also a Top Candidate

As China Looks for Way Out of U.S. Trade Deadlock, Fentanyl Could Be Key

These Contentious Issues Could Determine Who Becomes the Next Pope

Terrifying moment plane crashes at iconic Riviera Country Club in shock emergency landing as golfers left stunned

Prince Andrew MUST ‘come clean and confess’ to Virginia Guiffre’s family after tragic death, demands lawyer

What the Tariffs Have Done to a Fledgling Small Business

Putin army horror as soldier goes on shooting rampage in Russian village

'There is nothing wrong with taking a stand against Israel's genocide and occupation'

Russian drone attack injures 47 in Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv

Pakistan test fires ballistic missile as tensions with India spike after Kashmir gun massacre

Why some ‘frustrated’ NDP voters flipped to Conservatives in the election

On the Brink: Online trading groups filling an ‘overwhelming’ gap for families

The urgent problem of intimate partner violence and how New Brunswick plans to respond

Horse with cognitive disorder defies odds thanks to generosity of strangers

Quebec passengers stuck on Porter Airlines plane for 7 hours recall ‘nightmare’ experience

Recording reveals details about IDF arrest of Gaza paramedic after aid attack

No, we don't want to be in your workout video

Woman killed in Thessaloniki bomb explosion as police probe Greece bank attack plot

Why Andrea Jenkyns’s success is a risk for Farage

100,000 people give up wild swimming due to Britain’s polluted rivers

I smacked my son – now, years later, I wish I hadn’t

Five people survive 36 hours in alligator-infested swamp after plane crash

America’s Vietnam War Opponents Who Fled to Canada Reflect on the Past and Future

Russians face soaring bills as Kremlin drains economy to fund war says ex-banking chief

Panic in Ukraine as second largest city on fire after Putin's overnight attack

Letters: Want rid of SNP and Labour? Learn a lesson from England

Camley's Cartoon on Trump's Turnberry hopes

Will Anthony Albanese be first Australian PM in 21 years to witness two consecutive election wins?