The GOP struggles to find a message beyond Trump ahead of elections

As voters head to the polls tomorrow, let’s stop and look at the best messages to voters coming from Republicans.

Here is the most eye-opening:

“Bankruptcies are up, suicides are up but nonetheless [our hope is that President Trump]…can take us to victory here,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told Bloomberg TV last week.

Wow. Which team is he playing for?

To be fair to Marshall, several Republicans in the 2026 midterms have made similar appeals to voters.

Their best message is that any voter who supported Trump for president should close their eyes, hold their noses and remain loyal to Trump and vote for his supporters in Congress despite bad outcomes.

Unfortunately, that GOP message is facing a high bar. An NPR/PBS Marist poll shows 44 percent of registered voters plan to vote out of opposition to Trump. They oppose corruption, high prices for gas and groceries and another “never-ending” war in the Middle East?

Even with a big bankroll for advertising, the GOP candidates have not found a compelling closing argument beyond blind loyalty to Trump.

What can a GOP candidate say about corruption when the president is making billions on crypto currencies? What is there to say when the bill for his son’s wedding reception is picked up by a Russian oligarch?

Republicans currently in Congress conspicuously closed their eyes to that corruption. They also acquiesced to his economic policies and handling of foreign affairs.

They thought it was smart politics.

Given Trump’s grip on their party they feared losing a GOP primary to a rival endorsed by Trump if dared to defy Trump’s policies. 

But in........

© The Hill