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EXCLUSIVE — Despite facing a rough political environment, Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters remains optimistic the GOP will successfully defend its slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities in this year’s midterm elections.
“I think we’re on track. I still think that we have a chance to defy history and win the midterms,” Gruters said this week in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
Republicans — as the party currently in power — were already up against traditional political headwinds that lead to a loss of congressional seats. Add to that the challenging climate fueled by persistent inflation, rising gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran, and President Donald Trump’s underwater approval ratings.
“I know it’s all doom and gloom out there, but we have the best messenger in President Trump that’s ever existed in the party.”
The GOP is facing a low-propensity problem: MAGA voters who don’t always go to the polls when Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot.
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The RNC chair, a longtime Trump ally who the president picked last summer to steer the national party committee, said Trump will be “barnstorming the country” later this year, adding, “I think what he’s doing is rallying people. I think he could deliver these low propensity voters over and over again.”
The RNC currently holds a massive fundraising and cash-on-hand advantage over the rival Democratic National Committee (DNC).
Gruters, who was a certified public accountant (CPA) before taking over the RNC and who still serves as a Florida state senator, touted his party’s “superior resources.”
“If we focus on what’s important to us, and that’s the making sure we have the resources, making sure we have good candidates, following the president and his messaging, I think we will be successful,” he predicted.
Deep concerns over inflation boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories at the ballot box in 2024, as they won back the White House and Senate and kept their House majority.
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But Democrats say their decisive victories in November’s 2025 elections, and their overperformances in special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year and, so far this year, were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation.
The latest Fox News national poll indicates that just 28% of voters give Trump a thumbs up on handling inflation, which voters rank as the most pressing issue. The survey also says Democrats have an eight point advantage over Republicans when it comes to handling high prices.
During his first year back in the White House, Trump regularly touted lower gas prices when asked about his administration’s efforts on affordability.
But the surge in gas prices – the national average for regular is hovering slightly above $4 per gallon – due to the Trump-ordered attacks on Iran, has given the Democrats plenty of political fuel.
“Donald Trump started a war that no one wanted, and now Americans are paying the price. Gas prices are soaring and families who were already struggling in Trump’s economy are forced to stretch their budgets even further while footing the bill for this war,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
Martin charged that Trump “stuck everybody else with higher costs with no relief in sight. Americans literally can’t afford the Trump presidency.”
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But Gruters told Fox News Digital, “This conflict is temporary. I think the President knows exactly what he’s doing…I think by the time we hit November, I think we’re going to be in stride.”
Democrats are energized, thanks to their ballot box victories and overperformances.
“Nearly every week, we’re seeing red districts go blue with historic, game-changing victories up and down the ballot,” Martin emphasized. “We have momentum on our side, but we refuse to take a single day for granted. Democrats are all hands on deck ahead of November, because it’s time to send the Republicans packing.”
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Gruters isn’t buying the Democrats’ messaging.
“These special elections are special for a reason,” he said. “The Democrats are motivated because of anger, because every time the president does something good, they get angrier.”
And the RNC chair predicted, “by the time we hit the midterms, I think we’re going to be in full stride. We have great candidates, we have the right messaging, and I think we’ll be successful.”
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