Scott Jennings says GOP struggles without Trump on ballot: ‘The best salesman in the party’

WASHINGTON, DC: Political strategist Scott Jennings expressed concerns over the Republican Party's ability to maintain voter turnout in non-presidential election years, particularly when Donald Trump is not a candidate. 

Jennings says this is a critical tactical hurdle for the Republican Party as it looks toward the 2026 midterm elections.

Scott Jennings warns of GOP turnout crisis without Trump

Scott Jennings, author of 'A Revolution of Common Sense,' said he's concerned Republicans haven't really proven "that we can keep up with turnout in non-presidential years when Donald Trump is not on the ballot.'"

This comes against the backdrop of recent Democratic victories in major races that include the governors' contests in Virginia and New Jersey, and the mayoral election in New York City on November 4th.

Speaking on Newsmax's ‘Saturday Agenda,’ Jennings said the problem of turnout is “one of the biggest tactical issues facing the Republican Party.”

Scott Jennings hails Trump as GOP's 'best salesman'

Despite the concerns, Jennings did note a significant asset for the GOP in the current political landscape.

It is also true, he said, that the party has the best salesman in the Oval Office, who "really does have the capacity to go out and barnstorm the country and draw a bright line between voting for Republicans or voting for socialist Democrats."

Jennings added, "I expect him to do that." Conceding that the party out of power usually does very well during midterms, Jennings said his concern is palpable: "But am I worried? Yeah. Look, I'm an old political operative. Of course I'm worried."

Scott Jennings said GOP must argue against Democrats' radical path

The recent election results, which also included lower-profile Democratic wins in swing states like Pennsylvania and Georgia, served as an "early warning sign" for Republicans that mobilizing the core Trump voter coalition without the president on the ticket presents a challenge. 

It may be noted that in Georgia, Democrats flipped two contested seats on the state-wide Public Service Commission, while in Pennsylvania, they secured judicial wins for the Superior and Commonwealth courts, and retained three Democratic State Supreme Court justices.

With all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats in contention and with their party in control of both chambers of Congress, Jennings urged the party to get to work.

He concluded that Republicans "need to think hard about how to spend their time for the next year, less than a year now, and make an argument to the American people that we cannot follow the Democrats down this radical path that they're currently on."