Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace has delivered a stark warning about her party's prospects in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, openly stating she lacks confidence that the GOP will retain control of the House of Representatives.
A Candid Admission on Newsmax
During an interview on the conservative channel Newsmax on Wednesday, 7 January 2026, Mace was asked directly by co-host Sharla McBride if she was confident Republicans could hold their majority come November. "Well, no, I'm actually not," Mace replied bluntly. She expressed concern that there was insufficient time to implement former President Donald Trump's agenda before Republican primaries begin in March, with Texas among the earliest states. "I feel like we could do a lot more... And I don't believe we've done enough," she stated.
The Perfect Storm: Agenda Stalls and Member Exodus
The political challenges facing the House GOP are multifaceted. Beyond the typical election pressures and a public grappling with affordability issues and President Trump's foreign policy, the party is confronting a significant exodus of sitting members. There are 25 House Republicans, including Mace herself, who are not seeking re-election this year. Mace is instead running for Governor of South Carolina.
The situation was further complicated by the death of Congressman Doug LaMalfa following emergency surgery, which occurred the day after the resignation of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene took effect. These departures have left Speaker Mike Johnson with an extremely narrow majority. He can now afford to lose only two votes on any party-line measure, assuming full attendance—a rarity in itself, as demonstrated by Republican Jim Baird of Indiana missing a Tuesday vote due to hospitalisation after a serious car accident.
Gerrymandering Gambits and Impeachment Fears
In response to the precarious position, Republicans have attempted to offset potential losses through aggressive gerrymandering efforts, though the effectiveness of these tactics remains uncertain. Democrats in California have reportedly engaged in similar redistricting strategies to counter any Republican advantage.
Despite the wave of retirements under Trump's leadership, Mace remains a staunch supporter, calling adherence to his authority the party's viable path forward. "Everything he has said has been the best idea for the country," Mace claimed. "He's gonna go down as the best president of the United States." However, she voiced deep concern that bottlenecks in the Senate, and potentially the House, could stall his agenda and cost the party its majority.
Mace is not alone in her apprehension about losing the House. President Trump himself told House GOP members on Tuesday that a Democratic takeover would inevitably lead to another impeachment attempt against him. "You got to win the midterms because if we don't win the midterms, it's just going to be – I mean, they'll find a reason to impeach me. I'll get impeached," Trump warned. The president has already been impeached twice, first in 2019 for pressuring Ukraine regarding the 2020 election, and again in 2021 after the 6 January Capitol riot.
