GOP Election Guru Warns Key Senate Seats at Risk to ‘Terrific’ Dems

Republican strategist Karl Rove is warning that Democrats have put Republicans on notice in two key states in the battle for control of the Senate.

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Speaking on Fox News’ Journal Editorial Report, Rove argued the Democrats have recruited unusually strong candidates in key races, meaning Democrats could make key Republican-held Senate seats in Iowa and Ohio highly competitive in the 2026 election cycle.

Rove also pointed to the state’s gubernatorial race, where Democratic candidate Rob Sand is expected to boost turnout. Describing Sand as “a terrific candidate,” Rove suggested the governor’s race could help Democrats improve their chances down the ballot.

Rove’s comments come as election analysts have begun to view Iowa as more competitive. The Cook Political Report recently shifted its rating of Iowa’s Senate race from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican,” indicating a closer contest than previously anticipated.

The veteran Republican strategist also warned his party against underestimating Democrats in Ohio, where former Sen. Sherrod Brown is seeking a political comeback against Sen. Jon Husted.

Rove praised Brown as a strong candidate with a proven track record, saying Republicans are “in for a battle in Ohio.”

While expressing skepticism about some polls showing Brown with a significant lead, Rove acknowledged that Democrats have fielded one of their strongest possible candidates in the state.

He predicted the race would remain highly competitive, describing it as “a horserace, no doubt about it.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

It comes as polls have put the Democrats ahead of the Republicans heading into November’s midterm elections.

The latest New York Times/Siena poll showed Democrats leading Republicans by 11 points in the race for Congress, 50 percent to 39 percent among registered voters.

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And some Republicans fear that is because Trump, who has dismissed concerns over rising gas prices connected to his war in Iran, is prioritizing his own agenda over efforts to strengthen the party’s position.

And that has put the GOP in a vulnerable position, Rep. Thomas Massie, who has been one of Trump’s biggest opponents in the party and lost his own primary against a Trump-backed candidate in Kentucky, told NBC News this month.

“It’s true, you can take out Republicans in primaries, but Republicans are going to be very vulnerable this fall,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rove warned last month that Trump’s “dangerously low” approval rating could sink Republicans’ midterm hopes.

Dozens of polls have put Trump’s approval rating at an all-time low.

Rove cited Trump’s erratic Truth Social posts, which have drawn scrutiny over not only their content, but their timing and frequency.

“The president comes across more as a heckler at a UFC match than as a reassuring wartime commander in chief,” Rove wrote in a Wall Street Journal column.

Trump lashed out at Rove last week in a Truth Social post. “Fox News should get rid of sloppy RINO Karl Rove,” Trump wrote, using the acronym for “Republican in name only.”

“He’s called ME and MAGA wrong for 11 years now, and he still doesn’t get it, and he never will, because he suffers from a completely inoperable, and totally dysfunctional, case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” the president added.