RNC Chair Says Rising Left-Wing Radicalism Boosts Republicans for 2026 and 2028

Dmitri Bolt | January 19, 2026 1:00 PM

The Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters argued on 77 WABC radio’s the “Cats Roundtable" that the Democrats' shift further to the left is a signal that Republicans will be able to "defy history" and maintain control of Congress following the 2026 midterm elections.

He said the election of figures like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other so-called rogue radicals indicates that the Democratic Party is willing to embrace extremism. As many conservative commentators have voiced, the election most likely to implement common-sense policies aligned with its party platform is the one the American people will choose to grant political power.

“What AOC and Mamdani and others are doing is giving confidence to these … left-wing rogue radicals across the country and giving them confidence to run for these races, which in turn turns their primary battles into who can go further to the left,” Gruters said on Sunday. “That helps all of our candidates on the Republican side because we are the party of reasonableness and common sense. I think that the other side has lost touch on reality,”

“Look at New York. You have AOC, you have Mamdani. They are the new face of the Democratic Party,” Gruters said. He added that Republicans would "defy history" by holding onto control of Congress, which normally shifts during midterm elections.