Dem
47
GOP
53
The 119th Congress hasn't even been sworn in yet, and the battle for the 120th Congress has already started. The chairman of the NRSC will be Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). Whether he has the chops to do the job remains to be seen. He is not a heavyweight. One thing he is planning to do is select Stephen DeMaura, Mike Pence's former campaign manager, as executive director. The chairman sets the general policy goals but the executive director actually runs the operation. The first task of the executive director is to recruit candidates for open seats, or for seats held by a Democrat. Once there is a candidate, the executive director is almost like the campaign manager, although technically serves under the formal campaign manager. The executive director is responsible for budget, polling, key hires, fundraising, strategy, ads, and more. A sitting senator like Scott doesn't have time to help run half a dozen or more campaigns around the country and actual campaign managers may not have enough experience, especially if the candidate is an out-of-state carpetbagger who doesn't know the lay of the land well.
DeMaura and Donald Trump are not buddies. DeMaura was executive director of the super PAC that backed Carly Fiorina in 2016, but worse yet, putting Pence's guy in charge of Republican fortunes in the Senate in 2026 does not sit well with him, especially since Trump and DeMaura will have to work together closely in 2026. What if DeMaura asks Trump: "Do you think you could find time to campaign in, say, North Carolina? We need help there." Or: "Please DON'T go to Maine. You are toxic there."
Or worse yet, there will probably be an open primary in Kentucky (if Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY, calls it quits) and certainly in Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) is expected to jump in and challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA). Kemp is not especially Trumpy. What happens if DeMaura tells Trump to stay out of it because Kemp is their strongest candidate, but some very Trumpy Republican jumps into the primary? Suppose it is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)? Will Trump fight with DeMaura over that?
MAGAworld is not happy with the idea of DeMaura at the NRSC. Some Republicans fear that a guy close to Pence will go for normie Republicans and not people with a "candidate quality" problem, as they would prefer. Already, the MAGA Men have declared they will form their own Senate PAC, which would essentially be trying to do the same thing the NSRC does, except with different candidates. You never know if Trump, et al., mean it, or if they are just blowing smoke. But if Scott indeed chooses DeMaura, as multiple sources say he will, it might not be all smooth sailing in 2026. (V)