John McLaughlin to Newsmax: GOP Must Mobilize Trump Voters

Republicans are facing early signs of trouble with turnout in the 2026 midterms and must bring back President Donald Trump's 2024 voters if they hope to hold their congressional majorities, Republican pollster John McLaughlin warned on Newsmax Saturday.

"That's how, in 2002, the Republicans picked up eight seats in the House in a midterm, and two Senate seats, because we got [George W.] Bush voters out," McLaughlin told Newsmax's "America Right Now."

He pointed out that races in New Jersey and Virginia were close, but in Nassau County, New York, Republicans were able to mobilize voters and win decisively.

"The only place where we got them out was in Nassau County, New York, for Bruce Blakeman, for the Republicans out there. And they all won by double digits," he said, adding, "it can be done, and it must be done so that we can hold our majorities."

Looking ahead to the Senate map, McLaughlin said Michigan could become one of the marquee contests, highlighting Republican Mike Rogers and noting his role in securing Trump's endorsement.

"I think that the most competitive one right now is in Michigan with Mike Rogers," McLaughlin said. "We helped him get President Trump's endorsement, and he's the leading Republican."

Rogers, he added, is slightly ahead of Democrats in the polls, but the turnout issue could determine whether Republicans can pull out wins.

"Again, it comes down to ... we've got to get the Trump voters back out," he said.

McLaughlin also pointed to Georgia as a potential pickup target, saying Sen. Jon Ossoff is vulnerable and sitting in the mid-40s, while describing North Carolina as more difficult and citing opportunities in New Hampshire.

He also emphasized that Republicans must protect incumbents such as Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, saying she was trailing one Democrat in polling but has repeatedly found ways to win.

"That's the path to keeping the Senate majority," he said.

On broader political conditions, McLaughlin agreed that the so-called generic congressional ballot is an important indicator and said Republicans recently slipped.

"We had the Republicans ahead all year. And then last Wednesday, we had the Republicans fall to the Democrats by a point," he said.

He said Democrats have been gaining ground on affordability in odd-year contests, and he urged Republicans to sharpen their focus on what he described as kitchen-table priorities, starting with taxes.

"The most obvious affordability issue in the whole world is taxes," McLaughlin said.

He accused Democrats of backing the end of Trump's tax cuts and supporting a major tax increase, and he said Republicans should make the contrast clearer in 2026.

"We will cut taxes, the Democrats will raise taxes. And we've got to get back to basics on that," he said.

McLaughlin also urged Republicans to emphasize public safety and domestic issues more broadly, arguing they will decide the midterm landscape.

"It's the domestic issues that matter," he said, adding, "we just have to have a really good contrast."

He also said Trump's idea for a midterm convention could help unify messaging if it produces a platform that draws clearer distinctions with Democrats.

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