exclusive – The incoming chairman of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee says his strategy for the 2026 election is simple: “Grow your majority.”
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott told reporters after his fellow Republicans in the Senate selected him to chair the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the next two years that his “passion” is that President-elect Trump “It's about making sure we don't take any unfair action,” he said. If Republicans have a majority in the Senate for two years, they will be in power for four years.
“What we're trying to do is protect the seats that we have and increase the majority that the party has,” Scott told Fox News Digital this week in his first interview after being elected NRSC chair. “The idea is to enlarge the map so that we can do that,” he said. It's a victory for Trump. ”
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Republican Sen. Tim Scott speaks at the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Getty Images)
Last week's elections gave Republicans back control of the Senate, ending four years of Democratic control.
And once the state's mandated recount in Pennsylvania's Senate race is complete, Republican challenger Dave McCormick will lead Democratic Sen. Bob Casey by about 25,000 votes. Republicans are expected to hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Although not as favorable as the 2024 Senate map, the 2026 election landscape gives Republicans a chance to flip the seat.
Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff (Georgia) and Gary Peters (Michigan) are seeking re-election in two years' time in key battleground states that President Trump flipped last week.
And even though Trump lost, New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen will be seeking reelection in a perennial battleground state where she overperformed in 2020. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner is seeking reelection in Virginia, a state that Trump lost by just five points last week.
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“How do you enlarge the map?” Scott said. “Look at Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia. And for a further stretch, look at New Mexico and Minnesota. President Trump was very competitive in those states. ”
But Republicans will also have to play defense. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election in a reliably blue state. Sen. Tom Tills of North Carolina, a battleground state that Trump narrowly won, is also running in 2026.
“The good news is, as long as Susan Collins is running, I think we have a chance to win. Last time she won by a few points, this time she will win by a few points,” Scott said. “He remains in North Carolina.” Good for our party. ”
NRSC Chairman Sen. Rick Scott (Florida) was criticized for his intrusive approach in the Republican Senate primary, when Republicans lost any chance of regaining the majority in the 2022 election cycle.
This past cycle, outgoing NRSC Chairman Sen. Steve Daines (Montana) was involved in the Senate Republican nomination race.
Sen. Steve Daines, Republican of Montana, speaks at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
Asked if the NRSC would take sides in the competitive Republican Senate primary during the next two years of his term, Scott said, “The best thing for us is to know what we're looking at next year. I think it's something that families should talk about,” he told Fox News. We're going to stick to that map and make the best decisions we can as it relates to ultimately having more seats than we have now. ”
“Thankfully, we're 53 years old. I hope we're 55,” Scott added.
Asked if he was aiming for 55 seats, Scott joked, “If it was up to me, I'd probably get 100 seats.”
Mr. Scott ran unsuccessfully for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination last year, and subsequently ended his candidacy and endorsed Mr. Trump. The senator attracted attention as a surrogate candidate for Mr. Trump during this year's election campaign.
In last week's election, Trump outperformed many Republican Senate candidates, unlike in 2016 or 2020.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) sits and shakes hands with Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump during the Fox News Town Hall at the Greenville Convention Center on February 20, 2024 in Greenville, South Carolina. ). (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Scott said he hopes Trump will participate as much as possible in the 2026 Senate race.
“Every day, in every way, President Trump, I know you have a full-time job. I'm going to ask you to have two full-time jobs. Enlarge this map Let's do it,” Scott emphasized.
“That means we need President Trump every day to campaign, to fundraise, to talk to people, because this is the party of President Donald J. Trump,” he said. Because we need to make sure that we extend that from men to the general public.” We need him to do it. ”
A big part of Scott's job as NRSC chair is fundraising. The senator was the Republican Party's top fundraiser in the 2022 cycle and easily won reelection in red state South Carolina.
“In order to be competitive in the states we can win, we have to have more resources than ever before. I think we can win more states than ever before. In fact, President Donald Trump has given us “It's given us a lot of avenues. It's our responsibility to make sure we have the resources to win those seats,” Scott said.
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Peters served as chairman of the rival Democratic Senate Campaign Committee during the 2022-2024 term, but will not participate in his third stint as he faces re-election in Michigan.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who easily won re-election in the blue state of New York last week, is running for DSCC chair. Senate Democrats will hold a leadership election later this year.
“In a difficult political environment, Democrats made history. We won multiple elections in states that Trump won,” said David Bergstein, DSCC communications director for the past several election cycles. We dramatically outperformed the president, and it's the first time in more than a decade that Senate Democrats have won multiple elections in states won by the opposition presidential candidate.
“The outcome of this cycle puts Senate Democrats in the strongest position to regain the majority in 2026,” Bergstein said.
