A growing number of Republicans are publicly breaking with President Donald Trump, a sign that a party normally in lockstep views him as a liability in the midterms.
In the past week, a Republican congresswoman denounced Trump’s immigration policies, a Republican senator called for a probe into his son’s wedding being funded by a Russian oligarch, and two Republican Senate candidates in battleground states urged him to swiftly end the Iran war.
Staring at the prospect of losing both chambers of Congress, some Trump-backed Republicans are now taking self-preservation measures and backpedaling away from some of the president’s policies that polls have found to be deeply unpopular. Rising fuel and grocery costs are expanding the number of GOP seats in play and prompting more candidates to show some independence.
“President Trump’s low approval rates make life tough for Republicans on the ballot,” said Doug Heye, a former communications director for the Republican National Committee. “It’s only natural that candidates would seek to create distance from Trump, especially on issues — like the Iran War — that are unpopular. That doesn’t guarantee success, and can be a hard needle to thread, but it’s the natural play.”
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Public approval of the Iran war has soured as the seven-month conflict has dragged on. Only 26% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the war, according to a CNN poll released Tuesday. Three-quarters of all adults said Trump does not have a clear plan for handling the situation in Iran, and 78% say that he is not doing enough to end the war.
The blowback for Republicans appears particularly acute in Iowa, a red state where farmers are being squeezed by high diesel prices. Three of the state’s four Republican House members called on Trump to wind down the Iran war, including Rep. Ashley Hinson, who’s seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Hinson has repeatedly opposed efforts in Congress to end hostilities with Iran, including last week, but she switched gears this week amid deep voter angst about the economy. In a post on X on Monday, Hinson called on Trump to suspend the gas tax and halt diesel exports, saying that “these actions to lower costs are needed ASAP, and the war needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end.”
One possible reason for her flip this week is a new poll showing she’s trailing her opponent in the state’s competitive Senate race. Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek led Hinson among registered voters by 50% to 42%, according to an Marist poll released Tuesday. That’s a larger lead than in other surveys, but impressive given that Trump won the state by 13 points in 2024.
Turek called Hinson’s opposition to the war hollow and pointed to her past votes in support of the war.
“When you had the chance to vote to end this war, you chose not to,” he wrote on X. “You voted seven times to continue it, including just last week. It’s time to actually end the forever wars and put Iowa and Iowans first.”
In the president’s home state of Florida, Byron Donalds, the Republican candidate for governor, easily fended off primary challenges touting his endorsement from Trump. But this week Donalds, a longtime staunch Trump ally, wiped his campaign website of references to the president’s support.
In Michigan, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers similarly broke with Trump on Monday by declaring that the war with Iran “needs to end and end quickly.” He appeared in a video recorded at a grocery store and called for more relief for Americans dealing with high costs.
Rogers had previously defended Trump’s Iran war. Abdul El-Sayed, his Democratic opponent, called the former congressman a “liar, coward, [and] fraud.”
Most surveys have shown a close race in Michigan. But a poll released Tuesday by Suffolk University found El-Sayed, a doctor and former public health official, leading Rogers 47% to 40%.
Republican strategists believe every candidate is doing what they must to maximize their chance of winning in November, though that task might be harder for those who have maintained close ties with Trump.
“This is somewhat expected in a tough cycle as campaign teams analyze their place in their race, recognize not a ton can be done to change their fortunes, and throw up a prayer,” said one veteran Republican strategist who requested anonymity to speak freely. “Unless it has been part of your brand for some time, I’m not sure voters will really buy it.”
Michigan Republican strategist Jason Roe said more Republican candidates are likely to distance themselves from Trump in the coming weeks.
“I think it’s a relatively normal thing to happen in any campaign,” he said. “From race to race you are going to see different issues where maybe it’s helpful to separate yourself.”
Still, most elected Republicans continue to stand by Trump, even as their anxiety about the economy and the midterm elections grows. As are most Senate Republican candidates, like Texas attorney general Ken Paxton.
In addition to battleground states like Michigan, Republicans have found themselves facing competitive races in traditionally red states like Kansas, Alaska, Nebraska and Ohio because of growing dissatisfaction over rising costs.
“It’s hard out there,” Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in an interview last week. “I’ve been talking to a couple of colleagues that come from states where farming is their economy, and farmers are really hurting right now, and they’re not particularly pleased with some of what they’re seeing with tariffs and the price of diesel, the cost of the Iran [war], and what that means to them.”
The need for Republicans to focus on a new group of contests that weren’t on the radar until recently is making the party increasingly nervous about the president’s impact.
“A year ago, we were talking all happy talk that it was going to be a great year for us,” she added. “I believe that we hold the Senate, but I think it’s going to be hard.”
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