NRSC chair Sen. Tim Scott has high hopes for the Senate GOP's chances in Midwest races in the 2026 cycle, buoyed by the committee's record first-year fundraising:

• "Cash is king," Scott (R-S.C.) told us in an interview this week.
• The NRSC raised $80 million year-to-date through the end of November, with $16.8 million cash on hand, according to fundraising stats shared by the NRSC.

Why it matters: Scott says he's confident about Michigan and excited about Minnesota. He even brushed off concerns about Georgia slipping away.

• Sports reporter Michele Tafoya is eyeing a Senate run in Minnesota, and Scott told us he thinks she would be a "fantastic candidate."
• Asked if the NRSC is ready to support her, he said, "We're going to be patient and let the process play out, and when the decision is made, we will be where we need to be."
• "What's most interesting in Minnesota is the very, very nasty Democrat primary playing out before our very eyes," he added.

Zoom out: When asked where he sees the GOP's best opportunities on offense, Scott was quick to point to the open seat in Michigan being vacated by Sen. Gary Peters (D).

• "Mike [Rogers] is going to do well, we're going to make Michigan a shade of red," Scott said.
• Scott sees Georgia as winnable, arguing Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) is out of step with the state's voters on taxes, Israel and the border. Scott says that makes the incumbent "a really good weapon for us" — even as the GOP struggles to rally behind a single challenger.
• He's also bullish about New Hampshire, where former Sen. John Sununu is running. "To me, that's a real pickup opportunity," Scott said.

Between the lines: Scott brushed off concerns that a heated, three-way primary in Georgia is hurting the party's chances of ousting Ossoff, pointing to general polling showing the race within one percentage point.

• "Whoever comes out on top in Georgia will win, and we're going to put all of our resources behind them once they make their decision," Scott said.
• The primary has been ripe with drama. Former football coach Derek Dooley is in the middle of a feud between Trumpworld and Gov. Brian Kemp (R).
• And Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) now faces an ethics investigation in the House. Scott did not give a direct response when asked about the probe. Collins and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) have been vying for the White House's blessing.

— Stef Kight

House Democrats, led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, responded with swift fury today after the White House announced the renamed "Trump-Kennedy Center."

• "The Kennedy Center Board has no authority to actually rename the Kennedy Center in the absence of legislative action, and we're going to make that clear," Jeffries told reporters.
• "It's a disgrace," added Jeffries, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board.
• "It's an embarrassment."

Between the lines: Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) said she was "cut off" when she tried to speak out against the move at a virtual meeting where the vote took place, she told us today.

• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote this afternoon in a post on X that the board "just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center."
• The renaming, Leavitt claimed, was "because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building."

The bottom line: "Congress named the Kennedy Center to honor the slain President. ... Nothing Trump does will change it," Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) said. "And if he defaces the place with his name, we will spackle it over."

— Andrew Solender

Congressional Republicans still think they can beat Rep. Henry Cuellar, despite Trump granting the Texas Democrat a political — and literal — get-out-jail-free-card.

Why it matters: The NRCC claims Texas' 28th District is one of its "top pickup opportunities" in a memo first shared with us.

• In early December, Trump granted a "full and unconditional" pardon to Cuellar, who had declared his innocence after being charged with accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes.
• Days later, Trump blasted Cuellar for what he called a "lack of LOYALTY" after Cuellar filed for reelection as a Democrat.

The big picture: Texas Republicans, at Trump's urging, kicked off the mid-cycle redistricting war, drawing a new congressional map designed to take out Cuellar.

• But the president's pardon — paired with unusually warm praise for the embattled Democrat — left many Republicans questioning whether they had lost their best chance to finally defeat him.
• The Cook Political Report shifted Cuellar's race from a toss-up to a lean Democrat following the pardon.
• Trump won the district by seven percentage points in 2024, and under the new map, he would have carried it by 10.

Driving the news: House Republicans acknowledged Trump's pardon was a big boost for Democrats. NRCC chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) told us the pardon "certainly makes it tougher" to flip the seat.

• Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told us the pardon solidified Cuellar's reelection, though he added he probably would have survived anyway.
• "The indictment has been hanging over his head for a long time. ... That would have been the thing that would have prevented him from being reelected," he said.

State of play: Republicans point to 2024's GOP inroads among Latino voters across the region and argue those trends will continue in 2026 and beyond — although polls this year have suggested some of those gains have been lost.

• Cuellar posted one of the weakest Q3 fundraising hauls and voted with Democrats 70% of the time.
• The NRCC is also betting Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), who just launched her Senate campaign, will drag down Democrats in the state.

— Kate Santaliz

— Stef Kight