{"id":2654074,"date":"2026-09-03T11:54:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T15:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thune-says-republicans-at-risk-of-losing-senate-majority\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T11:57:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T15:57:03","slug":"thune-says-republicans-at-risk-of-losing-senate-majority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thune-says-republicans-at-risk-of-losing-senate-majority\/","title":{"rendered":"Thune says Republicans at risk of losing Senate majority"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthune-says-republicans-at-risk-of-losing-senate-majority%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2654074&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senate Majority Leader John thune (R-SD) expressed concern that Republicans risk losing control of the Senate this fall, despite having strong candidates. He acknowledged the competitive surroundings and cited polling indicating that President Trump\u2019s approval ratings are near <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >historic lows amid voter anxiety<\/a> over Iran. Thune\u2019s comments reflect the broader possibility that Democrats could flip the Senate, with some Republican-held seats considered toss-ups. <\/p>\n<p>Thune also highlighted ongoing internal disagreements within the GOP, especially regarding campaign strategies and Trump&#8217;s involvement, especially in Texas where Trump backed a different candidate than Thune supported. He emphasized the importance of resources from Trump\u2019s team in key races like Texas&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/george-p-bush-talks-to-trump-about-political-options-for-texas\/\" title=\"George P. Bush Talks to Trump About Political Options for Texas\">attorney general race<\/a>, where Trump is supporting Ken Paxton, who faces a tight race and previously ousted incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Thune discussed legislative issues, reaffirming that Republicans oppose ending the filibuster despite support for the election integrity bill, the SAVE America Act. Thune&#8217;s remarks underscore the challenging political landscape for Republicans heading into the midterms and the ongoing internal debates within the party about strategy and legislative priorities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate Majority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-thune\/\">John Thune<\/a> (R-SD) believes that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-party\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"514\">Republicans<\/a> are at risk of losing their control of the upper chamber this fall, despite having a group of \u201chigh-quality candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI worry about that, for sure,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.keloland.com\/news\/local-news\/thune-weighs-in-on-beef-iran-data-centers-save-act\/amp\/\">Thune said<\/a> in a Tuesday interview with South Dakota outlet Keloland News. \u201cI\u2019m a realist, and I just think you \u2014 I don\u2019t ever try and sugarcoat things. I think it\u2019s a competitive environment right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4711757\/john-thune-worried-republicans-losing-senate-majority-2026-elections\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Thune says Republicans at risk of losing Senate majority: \u2018I worry about that\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4711218\/is-a-midterm-election-blue-wave-building\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Is a blue wave building?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4707563\/democrats-rnc-midterm-convention\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Democrats split on how to counter Trump\u2019s midterm convention<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His comments reflect polling that shows President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> approval ratings <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/approval\/donald-trump\/approval-rating\">flirting with new lows<\/a> and voter angst over the war in Iran.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11675\">midterm election<\/a> map marginally favors Senate Republicans, who can lose three seats in November and keep their majority. But there are enough competitive seats in play this cycle that Democrats could flip the chamber on a good election night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Five GOP-held seats are regarded as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/ratings\/senate-race-ratings\">toss-ups<\/a> by nonpartisan election forecasters, while a sixth \u2014 in North Carolina \u2014 has shifted in Democrats\u2019 favor. On Wednesday, Trump promised at a Rose Garden dinner to step up his presence on the campaign trail for vulnerable House and Senate incumbents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The note of caution from Thune is due in part to the political headwinds that the party in power traditionally faces in a midterm year. It also follows repeated disagreements between Thune and the president over campaign strategy, especially in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"253\">Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thune and other Republicans are waiting for Trump to open his campaign coffers to defend Texas Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4370\">Ken Paxton <\/a>(R) as polls show him <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/senate\/general\/2026\/texas\/talarico-vs-paxton\">tied or narrowly behind<\/a> Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the traditionally red state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the primary, Paxton, with Trump\u2019s backing, successfully ousted Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a four-term incumbent and prolific fundraiser supported by Thune.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTexas is such an expensive state, we\u2019re going to need the president and his team to be engaged there and to be putting resources into that race,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Acyn\/status\/2094870951909581230?s=20\">Thune said<\/a> Tuesday on Fox News.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elsewhere on the map, Republicans are bullish about flipping Michigan after Democrats nominated Abdul el Sayed, a progressive, and are contesting blue seats in Georgia and New Hampshire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thune\u2019s remarks come as Senate Republicans prepare to return to Washington after a weekslong recess. In the Keloland News interview, Thune expressed \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KELODanS\/status\/2094959033635483840?s=20\">hope<\/a>\u201d that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the former majority leader who suffered a fall in June, would return from rehabilitation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thune also addressed a long-running dispute with the president over the SAVE America Act, an election integrity bill that has stalled in the Senate due to the filibuster.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4709707\/john-james-flock-cameras-michigan-balance-governors-race\/\"><strong>JOHN JAMES THREADS NEEDLE ON FLOCK CAMERA BACKLASH IN MICHIGAN: \u2018BALANCE IS THE KEY\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thune reiterated on Tuesday that Republicans, despite supporting the bill, oppose weakening or eliminating the filibuster to pass it. He estimated that \u201c25 or 30\u201d GOP senators want to leave the 60-vote threshold untouched.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a deep, sort of philosophical debate on a lot of levels, but on a practical level, it\u2019s just not going to happen,\u201d Thune said. \u201cThe votes aren\u2019t there to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thune warns Republicans may lose Senate control this fall<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2654075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP26210760912963-e1788447199265.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[67394,3756,3740,23610],"class_list":["post-2654074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-majority-2","tag-republicans","tag-senate","tag-thune"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP26210760912963-e1788447199265.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2654074"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2654078,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654074\/revisions\/2654078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2654075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2654074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2654074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2654074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}