Trump and Thune Discuss Resources as Republicans Face Costly Senate Races/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Senate Majority Leader John Thune is pressing the importance of campaign resources as Republicans defend an expanding Senate battleground. He sees potential pickup opportunities in Minnesota, Michigan and New Hampshire while costly contests in Republican-held states demand attention. Thune remains confident the GOP can retain its majority despite economic frustration, Democratic momentum and difficult advertising decisions.
Quick Look
- Funding priority: Thune says ensuring Republican candidates have adequate resources is central to his discussions with Trump.
- Trump’s war chest: The president has more than $400 million available, with Minnesota among the possible destinations for additional support.
- Minnesota opportunity: Republican Michele Tafoya faces Democrat Peggy Flanagan for retiring Sen. Tina Smith’s seat.
- Texas spending: Republicans are investing hundreds of millions of dollars as Senate nominee Ken Paxton faces a difficult race.
- Changing allocations: The Senate Leadership Fund has reduced North Carolina spending while increasing its investment in Kansas.
- Economic pressures: Farm-state voters have raised concerns about trade disputes, foreign beef imports and high diesel prices.
- Leadership stakes: Thune is expected to seek another term as Senate Republican leader after the midterms.
Deep Look
Thune Makes Campaign Resources Central to Trump Discussions
LE SUEUR, Minnesota — Senate Majority Leader John Thune is focused on securing enough money for Republican candidates as the party enters the final stretch before November’s midterm elections.
In an interview with POLITICO during a Midwest campaign trip Monday, Thune said campaign resources had featured prominently in recent conversations with President Donald Trump and his political advisers.
“I think the president is sincerely interested in trying to do whatever he can to help the team,” Thune said. “I also share with him, too, the importance of just the resources in some of these states. You know, some of the states have gotten very expensive.”
While Trump concentrates on mobilizing his supporters through rallies, Thune is emphasizing the financial requirements of competitive Senate campaigns.
“I … just conveyed to him the importance of ensuring that our candidates are well-resourced.”
Republican Money Faces Test Against Democratic Momentum
The widening battleground raises a central question for Republicans: whether they have enough funding, and enough time to deploy it effectively, to counter strengthening Democratic campaigns.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has also highlighted the importance of spending in the closing weeks, although both leaders maintain that their party will prevail.
Thune declined to estimate the probability of Republicans retaining Senate control but repeatedly expressed confidence.
“I think we can keep the majority.”
“I think all of these races are margin of error, at least the ones that we have to win,” he added. “And historically, at least if you look at polls, we tend to outperform them.”
Unlike Schumer, who is concentrating on private fundraising while maintaining a lower public profile, Thune is traveling through both conservative states and traditional battlegrounds.
Minnesota Emerges as Possible Republican Pickup
Minnesota was not initially expected to become a competitive Republican target when Thune assumed the leadership nearly two years ago.
Democratic Sen. Tina Smith appeared positioned for reelection in a state that last elected a Republican senator in 2002. Her retirement opened the seat.
Democrats nominated progressive Peggy Flanagan, who faces former sportscaster Michele Tafoya.
Recent public polls have placed the contest within single digits. Thune identified Minnesota alongside Michigan and New Hampshire as possible Republican pickup opportunities.
However, national groups aligned with him have not yet made major investments in Minnesota.
“We have had three or four straight weeks of really solid polls,” Tafoya said at Monday’s news conference. “This is one worth investing in. We are right there.”
Asked about the scale of a potential national funding commitment, both Tafoya and Thune responded: “We haven’t had that conversation.”
Trump’s War Chest Could Help Expand GOP Investment
Thune suggested Minnesota could be one place where Trump’s war chest of more than $400 million might make a difference.
He said coordination with the president’s team remains frequent as Republicans evaluate where additional resources could have the greatest effect.
“If the president is looking for places where he can make a difference … we’re in touch on a daily basis with his team and hopefully they will — as they already have — continue to help us leverage the resources that we’ve got to bring to bear to get the best possible impact and outcome in these key states.”
For now, Minnesota’s limited national Republican spending contrasts with the hundreds of millions being committed to Texas.
Texas Defense and Growing Battleground Force Spending Decisions
Thune and Trump continue discussing Texas, where Republicans are spending heavily to support Senate nominee Ken Paxton.
Thune rejected the suggestion that those investments had already forced cuts elsewhere, saying “Dedicated donors” focused on Texas had allowed GOP groups to avoid diverting money from other key states.
Nevertheless, Republicans are making difficult allocation decisions as more traditionally conservative states become competitive.
The Thune-aligned Senate Leadership Fund recently reduced its North Carolina advertising effort while increasing spending in Kansas.
The North Carolina pullback has been viewed as effectively conceding a Republican-held seat to Democrats, although Thune described the decision as a “pause” in support for nominee Michael Whatley.
Farm-State Concerns Highlight Economic Headwinds
At an agriculture-focused roundtable Monday, Thune and Tafoya heard concerns about Trump’s trade conflict with Canada, his push to import foreign beef and high diesel prices following the war against Iran.
Thune presented Tafoya as a candidate who could become a “great voice on issues like agriculture” in the Senate.
Those discussions illustrated the economic dissatisfaction complicating Republican campaigns, including in states where the party typically performs strongly.
Thune Frames Midterms as Choice Between Parties
Thune wants voters to view the election as a “choice” between Republican and Democratic policies rather than a referendum on the Iran war and higher energy costs.
He accused Democrats of supporting “more spending,” “higher costs,” and “open borders,” while arguing that Republicans’ 2025 tax legislation put “more money in your pockets.”
“Iran is temporary,” he said. “It will be behind us. Gas prices are going to come down, so who do you want to invest in for the next two years, four years?”
His argument seeks to shift attention toward the parties’ competing agendas as Republicans defend their record.
Senate Results Carry Stakes for Thune’s Leadership
Thune is expected to seek another term as Republican leader in internal elections held shortly after the midterms, regardless of which party wins control.
He remains well regarded within the Senate GOP conference, and no senator has announced a challenge.
Some conservatives have privately questioned whether Trump would turn against him publicly if Republicans lose their majority.
“I can’t control that,” Thune said, adding that “the Republican conference” would ultimately decide its leadership.
“What the president does or doesn’t do … you just move forward and let the chips fall where they may,” he said. “All I can say is, I’m with him and his team to do the things I think are good for the future of the country.”
When reminded that Trump defended him after some attendees booed his name at last month’s Republican midterm convention, Thune laughed.
“Yeah, I know,” he said. “It’s the little things, right?”
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