Top Trump Republican begs party to wake up to possible election losses

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is begging his fellow GOP colleagues to pay attention to potential election losses in the U.S. Senate.

Axios reported late Tuesday that behind closed doors, Scott told lawmakers that his colleague, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), is in trouble.

In a briefing, Scott said the generic ballot numbers put Democrats six points ahead of Republicans. That is enough to take down GOP members in close elections.

"We've got some headwinds," one person who attended the briefing told Axios.

Scott also said that if they focus on the affordability crisis, it could help them.

A recent CBS News poll found that 39 percent of voters approve of Trump's work on the economy, while 61 percent disapprove. A poll of voters in 61 battleground districts taken in the fall shows voters have soured on the GOP's "Big, Beautiful Bill."

However, the plan Scott outlined could make things more difficult for Collins.

Last summer, Collins cast a vote against Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill," promoting anger from the president, who demanded that other GOP lawmakers vote the direct opposite of her. Still, The Bangor Daily News reported that Collins votes alongside Trump 96 percent of the time.

So, if Republicans began a national effort to promote the "Big Beautiful Bill," it would only highlight Collins' vote against it and could alienate pro-Trump GOP voters.

Meanwhile, Collins' votes on other matters will likely be used against her in the 2026 campaigns. Currently, her approval rating is so close to that of two top Democratic challengers that it falls within the margin of error, The New York Times reports.

Democrats are also destroying Republicans in the money game, Scott said, which was the opposite in 2025.

"I think what happened in Texas should capture our attention and remind us that we need to up our game and do a better job," Senate Majority LeaderJohn Thune (R-S.D.) said, responding to questions after the meeting.

"If you look at what we've accomplished in the last year, it's a terrific record," he also said.

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