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The wave that made President-elect Trump’s return to the White House possible could also be threatening some Republicans in Congress who are likely to face primary challenges in the midterms.

Five GOP senators, in particular, could be challenged in 2026 according to a new breakdown by The Hill, naming the Republican incumbents who have proven not so loyal to Trump and his MAGA agenda.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has indicated she will be running for her sixth term as Democrats continue to try to unseat her. But Collins, who has never faced a primary challenger,  has rocked the GOP boat on many occasions, including when she joined six of her colleagues to vote to impeach Trump on January 6 charges.

She has recently expressed reservations about the incoming president’s Cabinet choices, saying she was “shocked by the announcement” of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to serve as attorney general. Though Gaetz eventually stepped out of the running, Collins was among a group of Republicans who questioned the choice.

Collins has said she’s found some statements by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’s been tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to be “alarming.”

“For me, it’s an everyday occurrence, I mean that,” Collins told the Washington Post. “I get hit by the far left, in particular, and occasionally by the far right, all the time. So I’m used to that, that pressure.”

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, prompted a less-than-warm reaction from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) who was met with severe criticism from her own party. The first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate seems to have changed her stance on the nomination but not before igniting calls for a primary challenge.

Ernst has, however, gotten some praise related to Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” as she is the founder and chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus.

Meanwhile, in Texas, Republicans look to be mounting an effort to thwart Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) from seeking a fifth term while Democrats hope for the chance to flip the seat.

“Speculation has swirled since the beginning of this year that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) could mount a bid for Cornyn’s seat, which could make for a contentious primary battle between the state’s MAGA wing and old guard,” The Hill reported.

One of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents in the Senate is Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) though he has expressed he is not worried about a primary challenge as he launches his bid for a third term.

“It’s more important to get behind closed doors, address concerns, and have Republicans come together as one, than to create controversy. I just think … it’s a short-term win, but a long-term loss, if you’re not careful with that,” Tillis told reporters.

“Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is one of just three Republicans left in the upper chamber next year who voted to convict Trump on the impeachment charge of inciting insurrection, and that move could haunt him in 2026,” according to The Hill.

Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, who is mounting a challenge to Cassidy, said he has “failed the people of Louisiana” and the state needs “a true conservative voice.”

Though he is one of three remaining Republicans in the Senate who voted to impeach Trump, Cassidy, the incoming chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has promised that he and Trump “will work together for the benefit of our state and our nation.”

Frieda Powers
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