Donald Trump and JD Vance are so toxic that not only are House Republicans making ads breaking with Trump, but even when Vance shows up somewhere, there is now a chance that top Republicans in the state will refuse to be seen with him.
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By objective standards, Rep. Ashley Hinson is not a bad candidate and is not running a terrible campaign. Hinson is one of those Republicans in a red state who, in a normal midterm election year, would probably win the election for Iowa’s open US Senate seat and keep it in Republican hands.
Hinson is not Ken Paxton in Texas.
The problem is that 2026 is far from a normal midterm election year for Republicans.
Donald Trump and JD Vance have turned the 2026 midterm elections into a hellscape of anger and rage that is being directed at Republicans.
Some GOP candidates have told the White House they don’t want Trump in their states or districts. Others have chosen to campaign with Trump and Vance, but it is telling where Trump and Vance have been campaigning.
Lately, JD Vance has been going to red states. Donald Trump has gone to places he won in 2024, but that are more purple, like Georgia and North Carolina.
A map that should have Republicans on offense shows Trump and Vance playing defense.
Things got really awkward in Iowa, as Rep. Hinson didn’t show up at the rally, but JD Vance tried to campaign for her anyway.
