News · Press Release

SELF-AWARENESS IS KEY: Pennsylvania Republicans “Acknowledge ‘Extremely Difficult’ Election Year”

GOP Conference Speaker: “2026 has the potential to be ugly”
At their annual conference in Harrisburg on Friday, Republican leaders admitted what we already know: things are not looking good for them.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that one speaker at the GOP conference said “I’m telling you right now, 2026 is going to be extremely difficult.” PennLive reports that the GOP speaker added: “2026 has the potential to be ugly.”

DCCC Spokesperson Eli Cousin:
“They say that acceptance is the final stage of grief, and it looks like Pennsylvania Republicans have come to terms with their impending losses in November. Now would be a good time for Fitzpatrick, Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry to start updating their resumes.”

Read key nuggets from reporting on the conference for yourself:
  • Pennsylvania Republicans — bracing for a series of tough elections this fall — assembled Friday for their largest annual gathering, where attendees defended President Donald Trump’s track record amid mounting public dissatisfaction around his international and economic agendas.
  • Critically, four Republicans running for reelection to Congress are in competitive districts and being targeted by Democrats, who need to flip only three seats in the entire country to win back the majority.
  • Shapiro has promised to use his political capital — which comes with a hefty war chest and favorable polling — to help oust Perry and the other three congresspeople Democrats are targeting in the state: U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, of Bucks County; Rob Bresnahan, of Lackawanna County; and Ryan Mackenzie, of Lehigh County.
  • As the campaigns begin to heat up before Pennsylvania’s May 19 primary, polls suggest Republicans across the country may face an uphill battle.
  • “I’m telling you right now, 2026 is going to be extremely difficult,” said Maloney, the conservative activist. “It’s not a kumbaya moment. I don’t want us to all think, ‘Oh, it’s going to be fine.’ They’re coming at us with everything they have.”
  • The tone at one of the largest state-level conservative conferences in the U.S. was tense as the midterm election season gets underway with the primary date less than six weeks away.
  • “Because 2026 has the potential to be ugly,” [CEO of the conservative group Citizens Alliance Cliff] Maloney said.

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