Republican lawmakers worry that the battleground map is widening as the midterms draw closer, putting their slim majority in jeopardy.
With the midterms less than two months away, senators on both sides of the political aisle are sounding the alarm over the rapidly changing landscape, as some states that were previously thought to be safely Republican are shifting to the left. According to the Hill, some lawmakers are blaming this on the state of the economy — namely, rising gas prices. Monday’s national average clocked in at $4.4786 per gallon, up from an average of $3.1834 one year ago.
Per the Hill:
Senators in both parties say Democratic candidates have growing momentum because of rising energy prices. Voters are blaming the increasing costs on the military conflict with Iran, which President Trump started back in February without prior authorization from Congress.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) told the outlet he believes Democrats have “nine Senate pickups possible and need to put our resources into making sure we win as many of those that we can.”
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An unnamed Republican senator also expressed concerns over rising prices and how that is jeopardizing Republicans in the midterms.
“Energy prices are way too high. The war, people don’t like. And the real reason they don’t like the war is it’s making everything more expensive. Voters are not in a good mood. In farm states like Nebraska and Kansas, farmers are just irate about the beef issue, they’re irate about energy prices,” the senator said, describing it as a “tough environment.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also pointed to rising energy prices “as a consequence of what we’re seeing in Iran” and the impact it is having on voters.
She said, “This is what people are talking about. How do we address it? I think we have to recognize, yes, we have seen the prices of fuel and related products, diesel — other refined products, fertilizer, we have seen all that rise as a consequence of what we’re seeing in Iran.”
“People are feeling it, and they don’t like it,” Murkowski continued. “They don’t like it at all. And what kind of response are we seeing from the White House? Is there a recognition that there’s a connection here? If there is, I’m not hearing anybody enunciate it.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), left, and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) talk as the Senate Appropriations Committee marks up the FY2026 spending bill for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Midwestern state seats have been jeopardized, some say, due to trade policies negatively impacting farmers.
“Clearly beef is a critical issue for us,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said, according to the outlet. “Our producers love the president, they consider him to be one of their own, and what he did in sending a message about increasing beef supplies in the United States by bringing in outside [foreign] beef really hurt them.”
“That has shown up in his ratings in places that normally would be solidly in his corner,” the senator continued. “They’re frustrated and they’re hurt.”
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A recent survey from the Economist/YouGov shows respondents giving Democrats a four-point edge on the issue of the economy, and most, 56 percent, blaming inflation on the war in Iran.
RealClearPolitics currently considers the seats in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas as toss ups, with Florida, South Carolina, and Nebraska leaning GOP.
At the time of this writing, Cook Political Report considers Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas as tossups, with Georgia and North Carolina leaning Democrat and Nebraska and Kansas categorized as “likely” Republican.
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