Dems’ Capitol tactics hurt GOP midterm campaign, Thune says

Senate Republicans say they struggled to get out of the campaign ahead of the midterm elections — and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., says Democrats are to blame.

“Their whole purpose, and everything, is to, you know, force us to stay, force us to try to get members to take strong votes and tie people down so they don’t come back to campaign,” Thune told Fox News Digital.

Thune had just left a local furniture store in Sioux Falls, SD, where he touted the economic benefits of the bill, which greatly expanded Trump’s tax cuts in his 2017 tax bill, as well as making changes to the tax code that lawmakers believe will directly benefit small businesses.

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There, he noted that Montgomery’s owners told him, “If people have discretionary income here, they use it.”

That was the gist of a major Republican bill that played out in Congress last year. In fact, it was a direct response to the pocketbook issues that drove the 2024 election cycle and propelled the GOP to the trifecta of federal control in Washington, DC.

But too often, Schumer and his caucus have made it difficult for the GOP to get that message out, let alone leave the Capitol, Thune argued. Every day counts during the campaign season, and canceling a travel plan or holding an event can add to Republicans’ bid to stay in power.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus did not budge as DHS entered its fourth day of shutdown. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The latest example is the four-day partial government shutdown, with no end in sight as Senate Democrats and the White House engage in ongoing negotiations to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

While the shutdown doesn’t affect lawmakers’ travel plans — Thune reminded the Senate to stay ready as soon as a deal is reached — the previous 43-day shutdown disrupted any plans for lawmakers to get out and connect with voters.

Then there was the carte blanche ban against Trump’s nominees last year, too, which saw Thune cancel part of the August recess. That time, especially before the midterm election cycle, is used by lawmakers to drum up early support for their re-election campaigns.

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Sunrise hits the dome of the US Capitol on Jan. 2, 2025, as the 119th Congress begins. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

“For now [Democrats]it’s just about — it’s all about politics and making it, you know, more difficult for our administration to run for re-election,” Thune said.

Republicans see their ability to sell a “big, beautiful building” as crucial to their survival in the November election.

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And again, the cost of living and the Trump administration’s handling of inflation will again be a prominent factor in the upcoming election, Thune said.

“I think most of the voters, you know, especially the voters who will decide who controls the House and Senate after November, it’s going to be kind of a kitchen table, pocketbook … bread and butter issue,” Thune said. “They are economic voters, so inflation will be important, and having more money in their pockets will be important.”