President Donald Trump and senior White House aides have been privately and publicly steering Republican candidates in House races in Iowa, Michigan, New York, and Senate contests in Maine, Iowa, and North Carolina to stave off contentious primaries and shoring up swing districts with Trump-loyal candidates. This strategy is part of a broad White House strategy designed to ensure Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in next fall’s midterm elections. The president intends to get on the trail in support of Republican candidates and his senior aides are putting together a 2027 policy agenda so Trump can spell out for voters what a continued GOP trifecta would get them.
Rep. Zach Nunn of Iowa was seriously considering a run for governor and was told by Trump to “stay put.” Trump steered Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan out of a potentially messy Senate primary, telling him in a private meeting after the signing of the GENIUS Act that he planned to back Mike Rogers. The administration followed a similar playbook with Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who recently forewent the governor’s race.
On the Senate side, top White House officials held a private meeting with Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa last week, encouraging her to run for reelection as some Senate Republicans braced for the two-term senator to retire. In Maine, a seat Democrats would have a better chance of winning than Iowa, the White House has proactively discussed potential candidates if Sen. Susan Collins elects to not run again.
