Sen. Tim Scott's new objective as a Trump ally is to "enlarge the majority."

The incoming chair of the Senate Republican campaign committee reveals his straightforward strategy for the 2026 elections: "enlarge the majority."

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina stated that his "passion" is to ensure that President-elect Trump has four years in control of the Senate, rather than two years with a Republican majority.

This week, in his first interview as NRSC chair, Scott stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the party's goal is to safeguard its existing seats and enlarge its territory to enhance the majority gained from the Trump victory.

The Senate is now under Republican control after four years of Democratic majority rule.

If a mandated state recount is completed in the Senate contest in Pennsylvania, where GOP challenger Dave McCormick leads Democratic Sen. Bob Casey by roughly 25,000 votes, the Republicans will hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate come January.

The 2026 electoral landscape presents some opportunities for the Republicans to flip seats, although it is not as advantageous as the 2024 Senate map.

In two years, key battleground states Trump flipped last week will see the re-election of Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Gary Peters of Michigan.

In New Hampshire, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen will face re-election in a swing state that Trump lost but outperformed in 2020. Meanwhile, in Virginia, Sen. Mark Warner will be up for re-election after Trump lost the state by just five points last week.

"Scott inquired about expanding the map by considering Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Virginia, as well as New Mexico and Minnesota, which were states where President Trump was competitive."

In addition to playing offense, Republicans will also have to defend their seats in key states. Specifically, GOP Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina are both facing re-election in 2022 and 2026, respectively, in states that have historically been favorable to Democrats.

Scott highlighted that with Susan Collins running, there is a chance to win, as she won by several points last time and will likely do so again this time. Additionally, Thom Tillis remaining in North Carolina benefits our party.

During the 2022 election cycle, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida faced criticism for his hands-off approach in the GOP Senate primaries after the Republicans missed an opportunity to regain the majority.

During the previous election cycle, Senator Steve Daines of Montana played a role in the Republican nomination process for the Senate.

Scott stated on Planet Chronicle that he believes the NRSC should have a family conversation next year to discuss how to defend the map and make the best decisions to increase the number of seats they currently have in the Senate.

"I'm glad we're at 53. I hope we reach 55," Scott remarked.

When asked if 55 seats was his objective, Scott joked that if it were up to him, they would have 100 seats.

In 2024, Scott ran for the Republican presidential nomination but was unsuccessful. He later ended his bid and endorsed Trump, who had him as a high-profile surrogate on the campaign trail this year.

In the recent election, unlike in previous years, Trump surpassed several Republican Senate candidates in performance.

Scott stated that he desires Trump to be as involved as possible in the 2026 Senate elections.

Scott emphasized, "President Trump, I know you have a full-time job, but I'm going to ask you to have two full-time jobs. Let's expand this map."

President Trump's campaign trail presence is crucial for the party's expansion, as he is the face of the movement. Therefore, he must continue to do fundraisers, talk to people, and be on the campaign trail every day.

As NRSC chair, Scott will be responsible for fundraising, just as he was a top Republican fundraiser during the 2022 cycle, when he effortlessly won re-election in South Carolina's red state.

To be competitive in the states where we can win, we need more resources than we've had in the past, according to Scott. He believes we can win in more states than ever, and President Donald Trump has given us a lot of runway. It is our responsibility to have the resources to win those seats, Scott added.

During the 2022 and 2024 cycles, the rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was led by Peters, who is not seeking a third term as he is up for re-election in Michigan.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who effortlessly secured re-election in blue-state New York last week, is campaigning to become the chair of the DSCC. The Senate Democrats will conduct their leadership elections in the near future.

In a challenging political environment, Democrats made history by winning multiple races in states won by Trump, dramatically over-performing the presidential results, and for the first time in over a decade, Senate Democrats have won multiple races in states won by the opposite party's presidential nominee.

According to Bergstein, the current cycle's results will give Senate Democrats the best chance to regain the majority in 2026.