NRSC chair reveals how many GOP Senate seats he's gunning for during 2026 midterms

Call it Sen. Tim Scott's 55-seat strategy.

Scott, the blimpish legislator from South Carolina, told Fox News Digital soon aft taking implicit precocious past twelvemonth arsenic seat of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) helium aimed to grow the GOP's existent 53-47 bulk successful the Senate.

And Scott, successful a Fox News Digital interrogation this week connected Capitol Hill, is lasting by his goal.

"One 100 percent. It's my agelong goal," the legislator reiterated. "The bottommost enactment is, I judge that we tin support our existent seats portion adding astatine slightest 2 much seats to our numbers."

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Scott, who past period became the longest-serving Black legislator successful the nation's history, launched a run 2 years agone for the 2024 GOP statesmanlike information earlier dropping retired and endorsing Donald Trump.

The senator, who was a apical Trump surrogate connected the run way past year, emphasized that "the bully quality is, with President Donald Trump starring this country, the tract is wide open, which means that we person much places to play, and the crippled is on."

Scott added the NRSC needs "to absorption connected the mechanics of making definite that the Donald J. Trump marque is reflected successful our candidates."

Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable representation successful the 2024 rhythm arsenic they flipped 4 seats from bluish to reddish to triumph backmost power of the chamber.

But the enactment successful powerfulness — intelligibly the Republicans close present — traditionally faces governmental headwinds successful the midterm elections. Nevertheless, an aboriginal work of the 2026 representation indicates the GOP whitethorn beryllium capable to spell connected discourtesy successful immoderate cardinal states.

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Republicans volition beryllium targeting battleground Michigan, wherever Democratic Sen. Gary Peters precocious announced helium won't question re-election adjacent year, arsenic good arsenic Georgia, different cardinal battleground state, wherever first-term Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is considered vulnerable.

And successful plaything authorities New Hampshire, longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has yet to accidental whether she'll question different word successful the Senate erstwhile she's up for re-election adjacent year.

Days earlier Scott was interviewed by Fox News Digital, Democratic Sen. Tina Smith successful blue-leaning Minnesota announced she wouldn't tally again successful 2026.

"Minnesota is an unfastened seat. That's a four-point state," Scott said arsenic helium pointed to Trump's better-than-expected show successful the authorities successful November's statesmanlike election.

"We tin really marque gains determination and bring location different reddish spot successful Minnesota for the archetypal clip successful a agelong time," Scott predicted.

Asked astir GOP recruitment efforts successful Minnesota, Scott responded, "I’m pleasantly surprised. We've already talked to 2 precise highly qualified candidates and much to come."

Pointing to the existent governmental scenery crossed the country, Scott touted that "we person a representation that is wide open. All we request is time. Time is connected our broadside close now. So, we're excited astir what's going to hap implicit the adjacent respective weeks."

But Republicans are besides playing defence successful the 2026 cycle.

Democrats program to spell connected discourtesy successful blue-leaning Maine, wherever GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, arsenic good arsenic successful battleground North Carolina, wherever Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is besides up successful 2026. 

Scott acknowledges that the GOP volition person to walk large bucks to support those 2 seats, arsenic good arsenic successful Ohio, wherever Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was appointed past period to win Vice President JD Vance successful the Senate. Husted volition tally adjacent twelvemonth to decorativeness retired Vance's term.

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Pointing to a apt terms tag of good implicit $1 cardinal successful those 3 races, Scott acknowledged that "we request to proceed to person beardown fundraising numbers and enactment our candidates arsenic we support our seats."

The NRSC precocious announced a grounds $8.5 cardinal successful fundraising successful January, which the committee says is its champion ever off-year January haul.

Asked if the NRSC could support up the pace, Scott said, "Absolutely we can. The bully quality is we're already connected gait for February to person different record-breaking month."

And pointing to the president, Scott argued that "Trump brings a batch of enthusiasm. He made promises connected the run trail, and now, arsenic president, he's keeping those promises. What does that person to? Cash is king. People emotion a antheral who says what he's going to do, helium gets a job, helium goes to enactment doing those things. It makes our occupation infinitely easier astatine the NRSC."

In the 2022 predetermination cycle, erstwhile the Republicans blew a accidental to triumph backmost the majority, NRSC Chair Rick Scott of Florida was criticized for a hands-off attack successful the GOP Senate primaries. 

Last cycle, NRSC Chair Sen. Steve Daines of Montana got progressive successful Senate Republican information battles.

Asked what he'll bash erstwhile it comes to contested GOP Senate primaries this cycle, Scott answered, "Whatever is successful the champion involvement of the voters successful each state, I volition marque a state-by-state determination connected however we play and wherever we play."