The 2026 midterm cycle has effectively kicked off right after the conclusion of the 2024 election, as this process is ongoing. As we approach late February, it’s crucial to focus on preserving the GOP’s majorities in both the House and Senate, especially given the growing public dissatisfaction with the Trump agenda. This week, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, along with key officials and operatives, gathered in Washington, DC, for a significant strategy meeting aimed at 2026. They received valuable insights on messaging, tactics, and identified what Democrats will need to score a major victory and bring a blue wave into the next Congress.
They were informed that border security doesn’t resonate as strongly as other issues, while Facebook continues to be the main platform for voters to share news. The economy is likely to be the key factor determining Republican success in the upcoming November elections. This information probably rings a bell.
The Senate Republican majority could be in jeopardy if Democrats secure 50 seats in the House. Mark Halperin provided insights on this meeting, which took place on February 17:
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The group was served a chicken and steak buffet.
The program went for almost two hours, starting at 530pm.
This was a veteran group, not panicked or shaken. Just focused on the work and the task at hand.
There were about 75-100 people in the room.
Many cabinet members were there, including Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick, RFK, Sean Duffy, along with their most senior aides.
The meeting was hosted by Susie Wiles, who spoke briefly.
The pollster and strategist Tony Fabrizio presented with about 25 slides on the data on what voters care about — the demographics, the issues, what messages resonate and what do not.
The economy will be THE issue in the election, he said. Messages that break through: Banning stock trading for Congress, transparency on health insurance data (including on pricing and claims reimbursement), lowering prescription drug costs, the Trump tax cuts.
Housing affordability is a huge issue for voters, especially young people.
Taking credit for closing the border does not resonate much.
Men, moderates, true independents, and Hispanic voters are the true persuadable voters.
His message was not pessimistic.
He made recommendations to spend time on podcasts and social media more than national news interviews. Paid media should go on targeted media, not broadcast or even cable.
Facebook is still king for voters, then Instagram and TikTok.
There are currently 36 targeted House races and 7 key Senate races.
The only way Republicans will lose the Senate majority is if Democrats take 50 House seats.
Then political czar James Blair spoke and presented the historical data of how rare it is for a president’s party to not lose a lot of seats in a midterm.
Tennessee 7 special was going to be lost before a huge push for Election Day, from which they have taken lessons about messaging and grassroots.
Trying to argue about wages being up will not help; voters have to feel it, he said.
He acknowledged that Donald Trump will do what he wants to do, say what he wants to say, not be data driven. Everyone else has to stay on message and be driven by the data. In effect, two separate but related campaigns.
They expect Democrats will run in large part on the “Stop Trump” message.
Here’s some more good news that the GOP and President Trump can build on:
Trump has been holding rallies to promote his agenda. Stay the course, sir. Everyone has their strategy, but the president is determined to run things his own way.