Democrats predicting at least 70 House seats are now in play for 2026, after Tuesday's Tennessee special election

While Trump celebrated Behn‘s election win, some conservatives urged the Republican Party to shift their focus to winning elections next year. Robby Starbuck, a conservative social media activist, said on X that Republicans should have won the election by a larger margin.

Johnson’s slim House majority gives GOP holdouts outsized leverage, often forcing the speaker to bargain with dissenters or change course. In addition, several Republican members have announced their retirement and have been vocal about their discontent with Congress and, at times, leadership.

It was a fateful pairing. In October, texts were leaked from their group chat with 10 other Young Republican leaders in New York, Vermont and Arizona, revealing racist, misogynistic and antisemitic language — including “I love Hitler” — that rocked many in the party.

Social media accounts that posted the video include alleged screenshots of Stembridge's text messages with the teen boy on a dating app.

According to the researchers, Republican party members can be divided into three groups: Trump-first Republicans, Constitution-first Republicans and Party-first Republicans.

Virginia Republican leadership shakeup as party chair Mark Peake resigns citing need to combat Democratic redistricting and prepare for 2026 elections.