Republicans held onto a reliably conservative U.S. House district in Tennessee's special election , but only after a late burst of national spending and high-profile campaigning helped them secure a margin less than half of last year’s race.

Even with that victory, the outcome contributed to a gloomy outlook for the party going into the 2026 midterms that will determine control of Congress. Republicans will need to defend much more vulnerable seats if they have any hope of keeping their House majority, while Democrats are capitalizing on President Donald Trump’s unpopularity and the public's persistent frustration with the economy .

“The danger signs are there, and we shouldn’t have had to spend that kind of money to hold that kind of seat," said Jason Roe, a national Republican

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