House Republicans are ramping up their push to protect one of the narrowest majorities in modern history, sending Rep. Brian Jack (R-GA) on a recruitment swing on Tuesday through two Democratic-held House districts that President Donald Trump carried in the last election.
Republicans currently hold a 219–212 edge in the House, with three Democratic seats vacant following the recent deaths of Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Sylvester Turner (D-TX), and Gerry Connolly (D-VA), along with one Republican seat left open by resignation. Special elections are scheduled to fill these seats later this year.
Party strategists warn that losing even a few seats in 2026 could flip control back to Democrats. To prevent that, the National Republican Congressional Committee has mapped out 26 Democratic-held districts to target, focusing heavily on crossover areas where Trump performed well.
Ohio’s 9th district in the spotlight
Among the GOP’s top pickup opportunities is Ohio’s 9th District, anchored in Toledo and represented by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), the longest-serving woman in congressional history. First elected in 1982, Kaptur has built her career as a champion of the industrial Midwest, cultivating close ties to organized labor and wielding seniority on the Appropriations Committee.
But Republicans see her hold on the seat slipping. Trump carried the district in 2024, and Kaptur only narrowly fended off Republican Derek Merrin, who came within 2,922 votes of unseating her. To add to the uncertainty, Ohio is required by its state constitution to redraw congressional maps this cycle, a process that could reshape the race.
During his stop in Toledo, Jack met with party officials and the Republicans lining up to challenge Kaptur, according to a source with knowledge of the plans. Merrin, 39, a former four-term state representative, is running again. He faces competition from Josh Williams, 41, the first black Republican elected to the Ohio House in half a century, who overcame a difficult childhood that included a period of homelessness; Alea Nadeem, 41, a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard born in Toledo who spent part of her childhood in Iraq and whose father is Iraqi Muslim and mother American Christian; and Wayne Kinsel, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel in his late 40s who now owns a local brewery.
Looming over the race is Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, 40, who has not ruled out a campaign. As the state’s top legislative leader, he will oversee redistricting, and he is also rumored as a possible pick for lieutenant governor, making his decision one of the most closely watched in Ohio politics.
Michigan’s 8th district: A top pickup target
Jack’s recruitment tour also took him north to Michigan’s 8th District, stretching from Flint to Saginaw. The seat, held by freshman Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI), backed Trump by just two points in 2024, making it Republicans’ top chance to flip a Michigan district.
Jack met with Amir Hassan, a Navy veteran in his early forties who once served on the security detail for the Secretary of Transportation. Hassan, who is black and Muslim, grew up in Flint and has deep roots in the community.
McDonald Rivet, a former Michigan state senator who won the 8th District seat in 2024 after a competitive primary, is expected to mount a well-funded defense heading into her first reelection campaign. Democrats highlight her background in state and local government and her focus on economic revitalization in mid-Michigan as strengths that could help her withstand a Republican challenge.Â
Jack’s expanding role
The swing through Ohio and Michigan reflects Jack’s growing influence inside the party. While still in his first year in Congress, the 37-year-old has quickly become central to GOP strategy. He is the first freshman to serve as deputy chairman of the NRCC, where he leads the committee’s candidate recruitment operation. He also represents new members on the influential House Rules Committee, and his colleagues tapped him for a seat on the Republican Steering Committee.Â
Before running for Congress, Jack was one of Trump’s longest-serving aides, rising to be the White House political director and later advising the president’s reelection campaign. His deep ties to Trump, operational acumen, and rapid ascent within the freshman class have made him one of the most closely watched newcomers in the House Republican Conference.
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In addition to recruits, Republicans successfully passed a new congressional map in Texas this month in a rare mid-decade redistricting designed to gain five more GOP House seats and protect Trump’s House majority.
Republicans acknowledge that control of the House may come down to whether they recruit candidates who can withstand tough scrutiny and appeal beyond the party base. Jack’s mission in Ohio and Michigan underscores how much the GOP’s fortunes in 2026 will hinge on maps or margins and who carries the banner in swing districts.