National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson says voters understand why gas prices have risen amid fighting in Iran and is “not worried” about Democrats running on affordability in the same way Republicans did in 2024.
“I’m not worried at all because voters remember that we had $9 gas in some places and we’ve now brought prices down,” Hudson said on the On NOTUS podcast. “It’s a question of, ‘Do you want to continue down this path of recovery, or do we want to go back to artificially inflated gas prices?’”
Hudson said he believes the 2026 House elections will be a contrast of Republican policies under President Trump compared to memories of the Biden administration.
“We’re still on a rescue mission,” Hudson said. “Remember how bad it was before? Give us a chance to continue to make your lives better.”
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Hudson also celebrated a recent Supreme Court ruling that Louisiana’s congressional map was an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander,” opening the door for Louisiana and other states to redraw their congressional lines ahead of November’s elections.
Hudson praised the Supreme Court decision, though would not speculate on how many states could redraw their lines in time for the midterm elections.
“I think states need to heed this ruling,” Hudson said. “There are some states that have already had their primaries, but certainly states that haven’t had their primaries yet, I think they ought to delay the primaries and heed the ruling to make sure their maps are legal.”
Earlier this year, Hudson appeared to distance himself from Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting effort, but said this week that the initiative was ultimately beneficial.
“I haven’t talked to a single governor or a legislator that’s involved in redistricting,” Hudson said. “But, you know, it makes sense that states like Texas, Florida, North Carolina, three fastest-growing states in the country, may want to do mid-decade redistricting because their populations have grown so much.”
As Republicans work on their messaging for the midterm elections, Hudson said Republican candidates should be more specific on touting the gains in their 2025 reconciliation bill.
“We haven’t done a good job with it,” Hudson said. “We’ve tried to really talk about the things that are affecting people’s pocketbooks because that’s the top issue on voters’ minds right now. … But there’s so much good.”
On NOTUS is a weekly podcast where NOTUS reporters talk to lawmakers about how they got to Washington and what motivates them. You can download or listen here.
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