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Republican majority at risk? A look at the 6 GOP Senate seats most in jeopardy in midterm elections
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The Senate Republican campaign chair has a stark warning for his party as the GOP defends its 53-47 majority in the chamber in this year’s midterm elections.
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Tim Scott, pointing to a ballot box deficit the GOP’s facing in the latest Fox News national poll, said it could impact specific Senate races this year.
And Scott said the toughest challenge may be in Maine, where longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is running for re-election for a sixth six-year term in the blue-leaning northern New England state.
The straight talk from Scott, at a closed-door meeting earlier this week with fellow GOP senators, comes as Republicans, as the party in power in the nation’s capital, face traditional political headwinds in the midterms. And the GOP is also facing a rough political climate, with President Donald Trump‘s approval ratings remaining underwater while Democrats are energized as they work to win back the House majority and possibly recapture the Senate.
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An exterior view of the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol, on Jan. 12, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
While the NRSC remains optimistic they can not only defend but expand their majority, the GOP will be playing defense in half a dozen key races.
Here’s a look at the most vulnerable Republican Senate seats up for grabs in the midterms.
Maine
Collins is the only Republican senator running for re-election this year in a state that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried in her 2024 presidential election defeat to Trump.
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And Collins has seen a deterioration of her poll numbers among Mainers from her last re-election six years ago.
But Collins, who has long been a top target of the rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has proven tough to beat.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, departs the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, on July 24, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
Complicating the Democrats’ push to flip the seat is a competitive primary between two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has the tacit backing of longtime Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and the DSCC, and veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner, who is running to the left of Mill and who is backed by progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
North Carolina
Republicans are defending an open seat in the southeastern battleground state, with GOP Sen. Thom Tillis retiring at the end of this year.
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Democrats landed their top recruit when former two-term Gov. Roy Cooper launched a Senate campaign last summer. Cooper enjoys tons of name ID in North Carolina and is 6-0 when running statewide races.
Republicans are rallying around former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley, who has the president’s backing.
RNC Chair Michael Whatley announces his run for Senator for North Carolina on July 31st, 2025 in Gastonia, N.C. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The race is expected to be one of the most expensive and competitive Senate showdowns this year.
Ohio
Democrats scored another major recruiting victory when former longtime Sen. Sherrod Brown announced he would challenge Republican Sen. Jon Husted.
A former lieutenant governor, Husted was appointed to the Senate a year ago after then-Sen. JD Vance stepped down to serve as vice president.
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who was appointed to fill now-Vice President JD Vance’s seat, is running in the midterms to serve the final two years of Vance’s term. (Getty Images)
Ohio, once a premiere general election battleground, has turned red over the past decade, and Democrats view Brown as their only competitive candidate in the race to serve the final two years of Vance’s term.
Brown lost re-election in 2024 by roughly four points while Trump carried Ohio by 11 points.
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Similar to North Carolina, the showdown is expected to be very expensive and competitive.
Alaska
Democrats were given a big boost in the red-leaning state when former Rep. Mary Peltola announced last month that she would challenge GOP incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is running for re-election in this year’s midterms. (Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images)
Peltola lost re-election last year in the at-large district that covers the entire state by three points, while Trump carried Alaska by 11 points.
Iowa
Republicans are defending an open seat in Iowa, a onetime swing state that’s shifted to the right over the past decade.
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But the GOP has rallied around Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is backed by Trump, in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa, who is running in the 2026 race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, sits for a Fox News Digital interview on Sept. 4, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News )
Hinson, a former local TV news anchor who flipped a Democratic-held seat in 2020, is seen as a rising star in the party.
Democrats have a contested primary that includes state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian, state Sen. Zach Wahls and military veteran Nathan Sage.
Texas
Longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is in the middle of a competitive and combustible GOP nomination battle against state Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
Trump, to date, has stayed neutral in the primary, which will be held early next month.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is facing a combustible GOP primary as he seeks re-election in this year’s midterms. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
If neither Cornyn, Paxton, nor Hunt win a majority of the vote next month, a runoff will be held in May.
Cornyn enjoys the backing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the NRSC, which worries that the seat would be vulnerable if Paxton, who has plenty of political baggage, wins the primary.
The Democrats, who are eyeing the seat in the right-leaning state, have a competitive contest for their nomination between progressive firebrand and vocal Trump critic Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico, a rising star in the party.
GOP on offense
While playing defense, the NRSC is also eyeing three Democratic-held Senate seats.
The GOP’s aiming to flip open seats in battleground Michigan, where Sen. Gary Peters is retiring, and swing state New Hampshire, where longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is ending her long career, in which she made history as the first woman elected governor and senator.
Republicans are also eyeing battleground Georgia, where they view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat seeking re-election this year.
The NRSC is also spotlighting the open Senate seat in blue-leaning Minnesota, where Democratic Sen. Tina Smith is retiring.
Former longtime sportscaster Michele Tafoya is being backed by the NRSC as she runs for the GOP nomination.
Michele Tafoya is interviewed by Fox News Digital as she launches a Republican Senate campaign in Minnesota (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Some Republicans are calling last weekend’s double-digit shellacking in a special state Senate election in Texas in a district Trump carried by 17 points in 2024 a wake up call.
The stunning ballot box setback for Republicans, coming amid backlash over the Trump administration’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration, is further energizing Democrats as they aim to win back congressional majorities.
The victory in Texas was the Democrats’ latest win or over performance in a slew of elections since Trump returned to power in the White House a year ago, as the party stays laser focused on the issue of affordability amid persistent inflation.
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«The White House needs to focus less on foreign policy and immigration and more on affordability to improve our chances in the midterms,» Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling chief executive officer and a prominent Republican donor and bundler, told Fox News Digital.
And Eberhart, pointing to some key Senate races, said he’s worried about «the money game.»
«We’re woefully behind in Georgia. We’re behind in North Carolina. I think that in Texas we’re going to have somebody limp out of a runoff,» he cautioned.
Thune, speaking to reporters this week following the NRSC briefing, said that «the Democrats are targeting a number of our incumbents. And so we’ve got some races that are going to be expensive and hard fought in places like Maine and North Carolina.»
But Thune added, «We feel really good about… where our Senate races are.» And he emphasized that «incumbents in our conference are seasoned veterans who will outwork any of their opponents.»
Meanwhile, DSCC Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told Fox News Digital last month that «President Trump is creating a toxic agenda that’s harming people.»
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And Gillibrand emphasized she’s «optimistic that we have a shot to take back the majority.»
senate elections,john thune,republicans elections,midterm elections,democrats elections,maine,north carolina
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Congressional commission warns China’s Pacific infrastructure projects could pose a military threat
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FIRST ON FOX: Chinese-funded infrastructure projects across the Pacific Islands may appear civilian on the surface but could provide future military access for Beijing, senior members of a bipartisan congressional advisory commission warned in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
Senior members of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said runways, ports and other facilities financed by the People’s Republic of China are often «dual use» and part of a broader strategic pattern that blends economic investment with long-term security objectives.
«When you see a broader trend of militarization of the region… you see a lot of activities that suggest there are at least some security and military-related interests involved,» commission chair Randall Schriver said. «Even if it’s declared for civilian use… it is by its very character dual-use and could be used for military purposes.»
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The groundbreaking ceremony for the Woleai runway project in Yap State. Representatives of a Chinese company hold a banner on stage. May, 2025. (Cleo Paskal)
Schriver warned that China’s investments in the Pacific should not be viewed in isolation. «We know that China is very ambitious. We know that even civilian infrastructure projects often have strings attached,» he said. «In many instances, those involve access for the Chinese military.»
Commission Vice Chair Michael Kuiken said Beijing frequently pairs infrastructure financing with financial leverage. «There’s a cycle of debt diplomacy here,» Kuiken said. «China loads these islands up with debt and then uses their position of weakness to gain access… to build runways, to do things with respect to ports.»
«It’s a cycle that we see over and over again,» he added, calling it «a flywheel of debt diplomacy. There’s a vicious rinse-and-repeat cycle here. And whether it’s Taiwan, Palau, Micronesia or the Solomon Islands, it is a playbook that the Chinese go back to every time.»
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Image shows an LRAD being tested in Guam, Dec. 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Angel Campbell)
US response came too slowly, commission says
Schriver acknowledged Washington was slow to recognize the security implications of China’s expansion in the region.
«In a word, yes,» he said when asked whether the U.S. reacted too slowly.
He noted the timing coincided with major U.S. military investments in Guam, even as Chinese projects advanced nearby. «While this was happening, the Chinese were making inroads in the Pacific Islands … with great proximity to Guam,» he said, describing the island as central to U.S. logistics and combat operations.
Asked what would signal a shift from civilian infrastructure to operational military use, Schriver said some warning indicators are already visible.
Chinese labourers work at a construction site. June 22, 2005. (Claro Cortes IV CC/CCK/Reuters)
«The practice of undersea cable cutting… has been very provocative,» he said, describing it as activity that could be tied to military contingencies.
He also warned that visible deployments of Chinese military aircraft to Pacific facilities would mark a major escalation, citing a pattern previously seen in the South China Sea.
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The runway at Woleai in Yap State, part of a Chinese-backed infrastructure project in the Federated States of Micronesia. (Cleo Paskal)
«We’ve seen a particular pattern that wouldn’t surprise us at all to see in other parts of Oceania,» Schriver said.
Kuiken urged lawmakers to increase scrutiny and transparency. «The thing members can do most easily is just ask the intelligence community for imagery and for intelligence reports … raise the alarm, shine a light on it and expose the activities,» he said.
Kuiken also revealed the future hearing focused on undersea infrastructure and security risks in the region.
«Data is the lifeblood of the global economy these days,» he said. «Those cables are a vital source of information… and those are really quite aggressive actions and need to be exposed.»
Policy recommendations and next steps
The commission has proposed a broader U.S. response, including increased Coast Guard cooperation and expanded support for Pacific Island nations to strengthen resilience against security threats and economic pressure.
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Palau- October 6, 2015: Palau is an island in the Philippine Sea, Northern Pacific Ocean. (iStock)
Schriver referenced a «Pacific Island Security Initiative» recommendation aimed at combining economic, law enforcement and defense engagement.
Kuiken described the approach as «a layered cake.» «We want there to be a civilian aspect… a law enforcement piece… and a military piece,» he said. «You sort of need to do all of them in order to really be effective and really to combat the influence of the Chinese in this space.»
china,pacific,congress,national security,military
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Renunció un histórico político de Francia: su nombre aparece 673 veces en los documentos del caso Epstein
Un histórico político de Francia quedó en el centro de la polémica en Francia luego de que su nombre apareciera en los documentos sobre el caso Epstein. Se trata de Jack Lang, exministro de Cultura y de Educación, que tuvo que renunciar a la presidencia del Instituto del Mundo Árabe (IMA) en París. Si bien niega las acusaciones, se abrió una investigación judicial por sus supuestos vínculos con el financiero y delincuente sexual Jeffrey Epstein. Desde el Gobierno de Emmanuel Macron dijeron que la situación era «insostenible».
Lang, de 86 años, es una personalidad muy fuerte de la cultura de Francia y una de las personalidades de más alto perfil que aparecen en los documentos publicados por la justicia de Estados Unidos sobre Epstein.
El reconocido financiero neoyorquino fue condenado en 2008 por solicitar prostitución a una menor de edad. Lo encontraron muerto en prisión en 2019, cuando iba a ser juzgado por explotación sexual de mujeres, incluidas menores.
El Gobierno de Francia aceptó la renuncia de Lang y celebró la dimisión. «Ha tomado la única decisión posible, la única decisión deseable en esta situación. La situación era, a mi juicio, insostenible«, afirmó la portavoz, Maud Bregeon, en la emisora France Info.
El Instituto del Mundo Árabe, una institución cultural que también tiene un papel diplomático, está bajo la tutela del Ministerio de Exteriores.
Lang, que ocupaba la presidencia del IMA desde 2013, es una figura histórica del Partido Socialista francés, conocido por su labor como ministro de Cultura durante la presidencia de François Mitterrand en los años ochenta y noventa. Pero, desde la publicación de los documentos quedó bajo la mira, aunque él insiste en que es inocente de cualquier delito.
Su abogado, Laurent Merlet, declaró a la cadena BFM TV que su cliente estaba «muy triste» por dejar el IMA pero que «no permitirá que las calumnias ganen terreno».
El viernes, la Fiscalía francesa anunció la apertura de una investigación preliminar contra él y su hija, Caroline Lang, por «blanqueo de capitales procedentes de fraude fiscal agravado» debido a sus presuntos vínculos financieros con Epstein.
Previo a la dimisión, Jack Lang se defendió públicamente: «Acusaciones infundadas»
Antes de darse a conocer su renuncia, Lang había declarado a la agencia AFP que las acusaciones en su contra eran «infundadas» y se mostró favorable a la investigación de la Justicia.
«Aportará mucha luz sobre las acusaciones que cuestionan mi probidad y mi honor», afirmó Lang, cuyo nombre aparece al menos 673 veces en los documentos que fueron publicados recientemente.
El ahora exfuncionario negó cualquier irregularidad y asegura que solo recurrió a Epstein en su condición de filántropo.
El pasado lunes había sido su hija Caroline la que había renunciado a la presidencia de un sindicato de productores de cine, tras las revelaciones sobre una sociedad offshore que había fundado en 2016 junto con el propio Epstein.
Caroline Lang también estaba apuntada por la justicia ya que figuraba en el testamento de Epstein como beneficiaria de cinco millones de dólares, según el medio de investigación, Mediapart.
Sin embargo, la mera mención de Lang dentro de los archivos no implica irregularidad alguna. Según el diario Le Monde y Mediapart ningún documento publicado por el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos sugiere que Lang o su hija estuvieran implicados en los delitos sexuales en los que era investigado Epstein.
Jack Lang es muy recordado en Francia por impulsar la Fiesta de la Música («Fête de la Musique»), una gran celebración en la calle que persiste hasta hoy y que otros países copiaron.
También supervisó grandes proyectos de arquitectura moderna, como la construcción de la Pirámide del Louvre y la Ópera de la Bastilla.
Tras la desclasificación de los documentos Epstein, la presión pública sobre Lang aumentó a lo largo de la semana pese a su insistencia en que «no había cometido ninguna falta y en que desconocía el comportamiento delictivo de Epstein».
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Super Bowl Sunday: Here are some of the political, social commercials you can expect during the big game
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One of the most anticipated parts of Super Bowl Sunday is not necessarily the game, it’s the commercials throughout the big game.
Hundreds-of-millions in advertising revenue will hit the airwaves Sunday night, but not everyone is trying to get you to buy something. Viewers can expect to see anti-hate ads, ads that focus on Christianity, and ads supporting political candidates that want viewers to buy in to their political views.
A 30-second spot during this year’s game costs around $8 to $10 million.
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U.S. President Donald Trumpholds up a football presented to Trump during a presentation ceremony for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East Room of the White House April 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Commander-in-Chief Trophy is awarded to the winner of the American college football series among the teams of the U.S. Military Academy (Army Black Knights), the U.S. Naval Academy (Navy Midshipmen), and the U.S. Air Force Academy (Air Force Falcons). (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
1. Pro-Trump group commercial touting Trump Accounts
A pro-Trump nonprofit, Invest America, bought time during the pre-game broadcast to promote the president’s new tax-free «Trump Accounts,» which were established in the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act as tax-free savings accounts for American children, many of which will be seeded with $1,000 from the federal government. Children will be able to use the funds from these accounts for things like education expenses, or down payments on a new home.
The ad will feature children talking about the importance of investing.
«It’s gonna get a lot of attention. All your viewers, watch the Super Bowl right after the national anthem, we’re gonna have a big rollout,» Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month on a local Midwest radio station.
2. Another anti-hate ad from Robert Kraft
New England Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft’s nonprofit the Blue Square Alliance, which was formerly called the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, will have another advertisement this year against antisemitism. His group has been buying ad spots at the Super Bowl since at least 2022 to promote anti-Jewish hate messages. Last year, the group’s ad featured appearances from celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady.
This year’s advertisement will focus on antisemitism among younger people, particularly those in schools. The ad encourages supporters to post an image of a blank blue square, resembling a sticky note, to illustrate their support against Jewish hate.
3. Michigan gubernatorial candidate’s «anti-halftime» ad
A Republican candidate running to be Michigan’s next governor, Perry Johnson, has been sponsoring ads running from several days before the game up until Sunday evening, according to the candidate’s campaign. The advertisement, which will only be seen in select Michigan TV markets, urges folks to turn the channel during the Bad Bunny halftime show and tune into the halftime show being produced by the late-Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA (TPUSA). Bad Bunny’s selection by the NFL has created a political stir, with critics calling him anti-American.
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«Join me in changing the channel during halftime to Turning Point’s ‘All American Halftime Show’ for some great American entertainment during America’s game,» Johnson’s ad encourages viewers.
An advertisement for Super Bowl halftime performance by musical performer Bad Bunny. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
4. Senate candidates’ campaign ads
Viewers in Maine and Texas will see advertising from the political campaigns of incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Democrat challenger to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, James Talarico, who is a state senator in Texas.
Collins’ campaign ad was purchased on her behalf by One Nation, a nonprofit tied to the Senate Leadership Fund, the top super PAC for Senate Republicans. They are coughing up about $5.5 million for a several-months-long ad buy planned to focus on the Maine viewing market.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, departs the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, on July 24, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
According to the local Portland Press, her 30-second ad features stock clips of firefighters while discussing Collins’ efforts to pass legislation banning «forever chemicals» linked to cancer. «Call Senator Collins and thank her for protecting Maine’s first responders,» a narrator concludes the advertisement, according to a version reportedly shared on YouTube.
Talarico, who reportedly spent more than $100,000 from his campaign to air his ad, according to local reports, shared his advertisement on social media. Talarico focuses on slamming billionaires and ethics, particularly related to campaign finance and congressional stock trading.
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«Millionaires don’t just influence politicians, they own them. That’s why I don’t take corporate PAC money. That’s why I fought to cap campaign contributions,» Talarico says in his ad. «In the Senate I’ll ban billionaires from making unlimited, secret donations. I’ll stop members of Congress from trading stocks. And I’ll raise taxes on those at the top to fund tax cuts for the rest of us.»
5. He Gets Us ad
The pro-Christian ad campaign that launched in 2022 with help from the family behind Hobby Lobby has been criticized over the years as its commercials have become a talking point following past Super Bowls. The campaign’s ads have typically focused on social conflicts and it plans to unveil yet another ad during this year’s game.
This year’s message touches on wealth, image, insecurity, digital addiction, fame and other pressures in life, rather than social conflicts, similar to ads they have done during past Super Bowls, according to pre-releases of the ad ahead of the game.
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