President Donald Trump’s top political advisers are urging Republican candidates to make an unexpected shift in their midterm messaging, to talk more about health care and less about voter integrity.
The strategy could give Republicans a potentially powerful opening on an issue that has historically been a weakness for the party, particularly as Trump-aligned groups prepare to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the 2026 elections.
Trump campaign officials, including White House political director James Blair, pollster Tony Fabrizio and Senate Leadership Fund executive director Alex Latcham, briefed Republican senators and aides August 5 on polling showing which issues could give GOP candidates the biggest advantage, according to slides reviewed by Axios.
Health care emerged as one of the strongest messages tested. Republicans held a 46-point advantage when voters were presented with a message calling for greater transparency around health insurers’ profits, claim denials and wait times while accusing Democrats of “lining insurers’ pockets.”
Other messages also performed strongly. Republicans held 44-point and 38-point advantages on banning congressional stock trading and cracking down on fraud, respectively. By comparison, the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, produced a substantially smaller 14-point Republican advantage.
The findings appear to be prompting Trump’s political operation to encourage candidates to broaden their focus as Republicans prepare for a midterm election in which health care is likely to be a central issue. The shift is notable because voter integrity has been a major priority for Trump and his political base, while Republicans have historically struggled to compete with Democrats on health care. Republicans now see an opportunity to turn that dynamic around by targeting health insurance companies rather than simply defending the party’s record on health policy.
The timing could also be significant as the Trump political operation prepares to begin spending heavily in competitive races. Blair told senators to expect money from MAGA Inc. and the Republican National Committee to begin flowing into midterm races, although he did not specify when or where the spending would begin. MAGA Inc. has more than $400 million available for political spending.
The RNC also has a massive financial advantage over its Democratic counterpart, with roughly $128 million in cash on hand compared with just $16 million for the Democratic National Committee, which also carries roughly $18 million in debt.
A recent Supreme Court ruling further increased the potential value of the Republican Party’s cash advantage by allowing national party committees to make unlimited coordinated expenditures with candidates.
Taken together, the new messaging strategy and coming influx of Republican money could give GOP candidates a more unified campaign apparatus heading into November.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott said the meeting left him optimistic. “Good news coming our way is what they basically indicated,” Scott told Axios.
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