Longtime GOP Staffers Abandon Republicans to Work for Democrats
Summary
Some longtime Republican staff members are leaving the GOP to work for Democratic Senate candidates in states that voted strongly for President Trump in 2024. Democrats hope to win these Senate seats in the 2026 midterms by appealing to voters who may be unhappy with the current Republican Party and its direction.Key Facts
- Republican staffers Austin Gilpin and Jacob Smith have left GOP jobs to work for Democrats Adam Hamilton in Kansas and James Talarico in Texas.
- Both Kansas and Texas voted for President Trump by more than 10 points in the 2024 election.
- Democrats aim to flip traditionally Republican Senate seats to gain control in the 2026 midterms.
- Gilpin previously worked for Kansas Republicans including Senator Roger Marshall; Smith worked for Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn.
- The Texas Senate race between Talarico and Ken Paxton is considered a close contest despite Texas' Republican lean.
- Gilpin said he supports Hamilton because he believes current Republican leaders have failed Kansas.
- Smith called Paxton “the most corrupt” politician in Texas and urged Republicans to vote against him.
- The shifts reflect a split within the GOP, where some traditional Republicans feel replaced by President Trump’s style and policies.
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