WASHINGTON — Senior Republicans are privately preparing for the possibility that Democrats will take control of the House in November, as GOP campaign groups pull back from some House races and steer resources toward contests they consider more winnable and the party’s Senate majority. Five senior Republican lawmakers, speaking anonymously about the party’s prospects, described the House as nearly out of reach. One said the immediate goal was to “save as many Republican seats as we can,” adding that President Donald Trump was making the election revolve around himself. “Now we have to survive that political storm,” the lawmaker said. Another Republican predicted Democrats could gain about 10 seats — enough to win control — and said GOP candidates were struggling even in newly redrawn Republican-leaning states such as Florida and Texas. Republican strategists have already downgraded several House races, including contests involving Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa and Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey. The party also stopped investing in an Omaha-area district held by retiring Rep. Don Bacon. Trump carried all three districts in 2024. The shift is visible in advertising plans. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the leading super PAC supporting House Republicans, canceled ad reservations for candidates in Iowa and Nebraska. The Senate Leadership Fund then took the airtime to back Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts and Ashley Hinson, a House member running for Senate in Iowa. Republicans are also spending heavily to defend Senate seats in Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, states that have been reliably Republican in recent elections. The funding decisions reflect a hard calculation: with control of the House in doubt, party leaders want to protect the Senate and limit losses elsewhere. Bacon, a Republican who has often clashed with the White House, blamed Trump’s standing with voters. “The biggest problem is the president’s polling numbers and unfavorables,” he said. The White House pushed back. Spokesperson Liz Huston said Trump remained “committed to maintaining Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.” Trump, campaigning in Alaska for Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, said enthusiasm for the party was rising, while acknowledging that the president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections. Johnson also disputed polling showing Republicans on the brink of a broad defeat, saying during a campaign stop in Texas that “the polling is wrong.” Republican campaign organizations likewise say they are still contesting the House. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella said races are won “one by one” and cited the party’s financial resources and ground operation. Chris Winkelman, president of the Congressional Leadership Fund, said the group would shift money to maximize its national impact and preserve a route to the 218 seats needed for a House majority. But one Republican lawmaker said the recent decisions to redirect advertising were “not the moves of a party that’s going to keep the House.”