Senate GOP freshmen plot major leaps in 2026
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Sens. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) walk to the office of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Young, ambitious Republicans are already angling to lead the Senate GOP campaign arm in 2026, with Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and others signaling their interest, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Protecting the next GOP Senate leader's likely majority is a high-risk and high-reward proposition.
- If former President Donald Trump wins back the White House, the NRSC will be playing defense in Maine and North Carolina. The job will be much harder than this cycle.
- If Vice President Kamala Harris becomes president, Republicans will look to knock off incumbents in Georgia and Michigan to grow their numbers after six years of Democrats controlling the White House.
- In either scenario, it's an opportunity for a senator to jumpstart a potential leadership career — and meet the party's most important donors along the way.
Zoom in: It's early, but Schmitt is emerging as the most serious possibility, according to five sources familiar with conversations on the Hill and downtown.
- Others who have scoped out the opportunity: Britt and Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), according to multiple sources.
Schmitt and his allies have had positive reactions to early conversations about the role, but he has not made a final decision, according to one source close to Schmitt. NOTUS first reported on Schmitt considering the role.
- Britt has been more visibly boosting Republican campaigns lately, holding a big dollar fundraiser for NRSC late last month, hosting Trump and NRSC Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) at the Alabama-Georgia game and spinning for JD Vance at the VP debate.
- "She isn't currently running for NRSC Chair, but she's always open to how she can best serve the conference," according to one source close to Britt.
Zoom out: Both Schmitt and Britt are fellow Senate freshmen, a tight-knit and ambitious group that also includes Vance.
- Schmitt is a likely option for attorney general if Trump wins in November.
- Hagerty, elected in 2020, is a top contender for a potential Trump cabinet position — even secretary of state, sources have told us. It would be unusual for a NRSC chair to face their own re-election campaign while leading the party's broader election fight.
The bottom line: NRSC chair can be a brutal gig. While meeting donors can be helpful down the line, it involves a lot of time in planes away from family.
