Turmoil Engulfs GOP as 2026 Midterms Approach: Internal Divisions, Trump Influence, and Jockeying for Post-Trump Era

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The Republican Party and RNC are grappling with internal turmoil as the 2026 midterms loom just months away. President Trump's second term, marked by aggressive tariffs that spiked prices and fueled Democratic wins, has eroded his grip on the GOP, with approval ratings sliding amid a revolt over withheld Jeffrey Epstein files and a record 43-day government shutdown that sidelined Congress. MS NOW highlights this shaky ground, noting Trump's orchestrated redistricting battles to cling to House control, yet 30 Republican incumbents—25 House members and five senators—have already opted out of reelection, per Wall Street Journal reports, citing exhaustion under his dominance. High-profile exits like Virginia state senator Bryce Reeves, who suspended his campaign against Democrat Mark Warner while slamming unprincipled leadership on social media, signal deepening fragmentation across pro- and anti-Trump factions.

Emerging figures are jockeying for a post-Trump era. Vice President JD Vance is stumping nationwide for GOP candidates, honing his 2028 presidential pitch on immigration despite waning public support for deportations, though Trump hedges endorsement, praising Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a potential rival or ally. Rubio, architect of tough foreign policies like strikes against Venezuela's Maduro, positions himself as a loyal executor of America First while eyeing the top spot. Other names in play include Donald Trump Jr., Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, Texas AG Ken Paxton, and Turning Point USA's Erika Kirk, who pushes traditional values to court women voters alienated by the party's masculine tilt.

The RNC is ramping up election integrity efforts, launching over a hundred lawsuits across dozens of states to challenge voter eligibility, with key cases headed to the Supreme Court this spring, aligning with Trump's push for clean elections. Democrats decry this as interference, fearing military deployments in blue cities and federal agents at polls, though courts have blocked Trump's past executive overreaches on voting rules. Pessimistic voices abound: former Ohio Governor John Kasich predicts a major House loss on MSNBC, calling the GOP a directionless MAGA quagmire, while Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte labels it a Trump personality cult awaiting his exit.

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