GOP House members want to run in other races. Trump is telling them to
stay in their seats
[July 24, 2025]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and JILL COLVIN
WASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga was ready to
launch a U.S. Senate bid. All he needed was President Donald Trump’ s
blessing.
But in a White House meeting last week, the president encouraged
Huizenga to run for reelection rather than challenge former Rep. Mike
Rogers for Senate in the battleground state, hoping to keep his west
Michigan seat secure, according to three people with direct knowledge of
the conversation.
On Wednesday, Huizenga announced he was skipping the Senate race.
“After careful consideration ... as well as in consultation with
President Trump, I have decided against a bid for U.S. Senate in
Michigan,” he said in a statement.
It's the latest example of Trump's increasingly heavy-handed efforts to
keep incumbent House members in their seats and keep those seats in GOP
hands as he and his political team try to avoid what happened in his
first term, when Republicans lost the chamber after just two years. From
Michigan to New York to Iowa, Trump has actively worked to reshape
Republican primary fields, demonstrating the enormous influence he
wields over a party that, by and large, answers to him.
Trump puts his thumb on the scale for the 2026 midterms
In Iowa, Rep. Zach Nunn had been weighing a run for governor until his
own conversation with Trump, after which he opted to seek reelection to
a seat that national Republicans feel would have been more competitive
without an incumbent on the ballot. Trump offered a full-throated
endorsement of Nunn’s reelection after he said he spoke with him.
And on Wednesday, New York Rep. Mike Lawler announced he would defend
his pivotal swing seat rather than launch a gubernatorial bid after a
private meeting with Trump last week.
“He obviously encouraged me to run for reelection to the House,” Lawler
said about his conversation with Trump. “That’s where his focus is.”
The efforts are the latest demonstration of Trump and his political
operation’s intense focus on keeping control of the House next year.
The party in power historically loses seats in midterm elections. But
Trump, according to people familiar with his thinking, is determined to
avoid a repeat of 2018, when Democrats took over the House and proceeded
to block his legislative agenda and then impeach him twice.
Trump is hoping he can buck history and maintain maximum power for the
next three-and-a-half years, despite his lame duck status.
To that end, he and his team have worked to dissuade incumbents in
potentially vulnerable seats from stepping down to pursue runs for the
Senate or governor, delivering the message that they are all on the same
team and that it is in the party's best interest to keep control of the
chamber.
“We have a tight margin. These competitive districts are going to be
determinative of the outcome,” said Lawler. “Of course, the president
has a focus on wanting to keep these seats and avoid unnecessary
primaries.”
Trump still wields power over GOP members
Trump's success in dissuading members from pursuing what are effectively
promotions is yet another demonstration of the enormous power he wields
over members, many of whom have made clear that they will not run unless
they have the president's blessing.
At the same time, he’s shown a willingness to greenlight bids from
members in safer seats. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who represents
a deep red district, continues to move toward a potential run for
governor. Trump also signaled support for a Senate bid by Rep. Marjorie
Taylor Greene in Georgia, though she ultimately decided against it.
Republican House candidates this year are generally trying to run in
lockstep with the president — a reflection of his sky-high popularity
with Republican voters and his success last November in drawing new
voters to the party. Republicans are eager to replicate that model after
struggling in the past to turn out Trump's supporters when the president
isn’t on the ballot.
Democrats, meanwhile, have tried to cast the moves as a sign that
Republicans are nervous about 2026.
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U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, of New York's 17th District, marches in the
2025 Israel Day Parade, on New York's Fifth Avenue, May 18, 2025.
(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
“They know their prospects for reelection are grim. They have been
ordered by Donald Trump to seek reelection. In other words, Donald has
signed their political death sentence,” House Minority Leader Hakeem
Jeffries told reporters Wednesday. “They chose to bend the knee.”
Huizenga steps aside
Huizenga, for months, had been contemplating challenging Rogers in the
Republican primary, waiting for a more formal discussion with Trump
about the race, although they had spoken on the phone multiple times.
Some Republicans in the state felt that Rogers should be challenged,
since he lost last year even as Trump won by nearly 80,000 votes. Rogers
has hired a number of Trump's staffers, including his former campaign
co-manager, Chris LaCivita.
While the emphasis from the White House was on keeping the House seat —
which Huizenga won by just under 12 percentage points — he has not yet
made a final decision on reelection.
“Every two years, Bill sits down with his wife to discuss what is best
for their family,” Brian Patrick, Huizenga's spokesperson, said in a
statement. “This election cycle is no different.”
Lawler said that while Trump shared his desire for the congressman to
stay in the House, “I didn’t get here by doing as told.”
“It’s something that I’ve thought extensively about and went through a
very unemotional process and a more data driven process than anything,”
said Lawler.
Not everyone has abided by Trump's wishes. Rep. John James of Michigan
is running for governor in a crowded GOP field, leaving open a
competitive House seat.
“He's running for governor but I'm not sure I'm too happy about that,
John,” said Trump during an event in June, with James in the audience.
“Do we have somebody good to take your seat? 'Cause otherwise we're not
letting him run for governor,” Trump said with a laugh.
James' spokesperson, Hannah Osantowske, said in a statement that James
has earned “the President's endorsement in every race and is committed
to earning it again.”
“He's a proven winner, and President Trump backs winners who've stood by
him,” Osantowske said.
Trump has leveraged other power over Republicans
Beyond discouraging members from running, Trump is flexing his power in
other ways. In Texas, he has pushed Republicans to try to redraw House
district maps to help protect Republicans’ slim majority next year. He
wants Republicans to carve out as many as five more winnable
congressional districts — a high-risk, high-reward maneuver that could
energize Democratic voters.
The intense involvement in House races stands in contrast to the Senate,
where Trump, until now, has generally avoided wading into contentious
and open primaries in crucial battleground states like North Carolina
and Georgia, as well as in Texas. In the Lone Star State, a longtime
ally, Ken Paxton, is challenging incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, to the
dismay of many national Republicans who fear Paxton would be toxic in a
general election.
Even in Michigan, where Rogers is now expected to be the lone
high-profile Republican in the open race, Trump has yet to endorse.
The contrast, allies say, reflects the more disciplined approach his
political operation is taking compared to years past. That includes
subjecting candidates Trump may endorse to a careful vetting process
that includes an assessment of their teams and fundraising capacity.
___
Colvin reported from New York.
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