'Pretty close to done': Insiders weigh giving up on 2 major Southern states

Key Points:

• Republicans are contemplating reallocating campaign resources away from North Carolina and Georgia in the upcoming Senate races due to financial constraints and the negative impact of President Trump's declining approval ratings on GOP candidates.
• Party insiders indicate that North Carolina and Georgia, once reliable Republican strongholds, now show GOP candidates lagging behind Democratic opponents, prompting consideration of focusing efforts on more competitive states like Michigan, New Hampshire, Iowa, Ohio, and Alaska.
• GOP senators express concern over the difficulty of winning in North Carolina and Georgia, with Democratic candidates Roy Cooper and Jon Ossoff maintaining steady leads, while Republican nominees lack incumbency advantages.
• The Republican Party remains divided on whether to continue aggressively contesting these Southern states or to prioritize races with higher winning probabilities, reflecting the urgency to retain control of the Senate amid expectations of potential Democratic gains in the House.
• Senior Republicans acknowledge the challenging outlook in North Carolina and Georgia, with some suggesting it may be prudent to "move on" and concentrate limited resources on races where victory is more attainable.