President Donald Trump has repeatedly dismissed his low approval ratings as "fake news," continuing to insist that Republicans are in a strong position as the midterm elections approach. But according to a report in HuffPost by reporters Arthuraney and Kevin Robillard, a growing number of Republicans are sounding the alarm about their party's prospects — including Sen. Jim Justice (R-West Virginia). The report describes a gap between that public confidence and the private concern inside the president's own party.

In their reporting, the two journalists write:

"Just a few weeks out from Election Day, Republicans are pressing the panic button. Candidates in states and districts President Donald Trump easily won are starting to attempt dramatic reinventions. Super PACs are pouring huge sums into safely red territory. But post-Labor Day polling increasingly favors Democrats, and consultants are worrying the party's massive money advantage won't save their candidates. In short: The GOP is staring down a blue wave, with its control of both chambers of Congress at risk."

Justice, who formerly served as governor of West Virginia — a state Trump won by 41 percent in 2024 — is warning fellow Republicans that the midterms, set for Tuesday, November 3, could go very well for Democrats.

"You've got real momentum on the Democrat side, and if we don't watch out, you know, everybody all of a sudden now is just awakened to the fact that we may lose in the midterm," Justice told HuffPost.

The former governor added: "You've got to be living in a cave to not see that Toby and Edith — I call the voters Toby and Edith — are out there, and they're hurting. They can't hold their nose and go vote for the Democrats, but they can stay home, and that will be the big challenge." It is, in effect, a warning about turnout rather than persuasion.

Justice is not the only worried Republican quoted in the article. A GOP consultant, interviewed on condition of anonymity, noted that although incumbent Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is leading Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa in the state's gubernatorial race, the contest is closer than it should be given how heavily Abbott is outspending her.

"If money can't turn some of these races around, things are going to get ugly," the consultant told HuffPost.

Delaney and Robillard observe a similar pattern in other races for governor: Democratic candidates in both Ohio and Nevada have been badly outspent by their GOP opponents, to little apparent effect. They write that $40 million in Republican spending in Nevada has led to a toss-up race, while $70 million in spending by Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy has led to a race in which Democrat Amy Acton holds a narrow lead. Those figures put hard numbers on the consultants' worry that money, on its own, is not deciding these contests.

Meanwhile, the conservative advocacy group American Principles Project is warning that "Republicans must also make the case to families on they plan to do to help improve their economic standing. The Republican sales pitch to voters on the economy is at best unclear." The group's concern about the party's economic message echoes Justice's description of voters who "are out there, and they're hurting."

Whether the post-Labor Day polling trend holds through Election Day, whether heavy Republican spending can shift the races in Texas, Ohio and Nevada, and whether the voters Justice describes show up are the questions the midterms will answer.

Delaney also shared the report on X. This article was published by Alternet, drawing on the HuffPost reporting by Delaney and Robillard.