GOP Wins Sixth Straight Congressional Baseball Game

Republicans delivered another dominant performance at Nationals Park on Wednesday evening, throttling the Democrats 11-2 in the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity to claim their sixth consecutive title in the storied tradition.

The lopsided final score continued a stretch of Republican dominance that has now gone unbroken since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it served as a reminder that whatever happens on Capitol Hill, the GOP has a firm grip on the diamond.

The game, which dates back to 1909 and has been raising money for charity since 2016, drew a crowd of more than 32,500 fans to Nationals Park, the most in the event’s history.

Congressional Sports for Charity, the organization that administers the game and distributes proceeds, announced a record-breaking fundraising haul of $3.2 million, which will benefit dozens of nonprofit organizations supporting vulnerable children and families throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

Beneficiaries include the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, the Tim Johnson Memorial Scholarship, and Nationals Philanthropies.

The Republican squad wasted no time asserting control.

Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri used his speed on the basepaths to put the first run on the board in the opening inning, setting the tone for a game that never felt competitive after the early frames.

Starting pitcher Representative Greg Steube of Florida, a Republican from the Sunshine State, kept Democratic bats quiet through the first two innings and gave his team the platform they needed to build an insurmountable lead.

The Republicans ran the exact same starting lineup they deployed in the 2025 game, a decision that proved once again to be a winning formula.

They looked confident and organized from the first pitch, moving runners efficiently, capitalizing on defensive miscues, and maintaining a level of fundamentally sound baseball that the Democrats simply could not match.

The decisive moment came when Democrats gave up five runs in a single inning with the bases loaded.

Democratic manager Representative Linda Sanchez of California, who became the first female manager in the game’s long history, walked to the mound to pull Pennsylvania Representative Chris Deluzio from the pitching duties.

Sanchez handed the ball to California Senator Alex Padilla, who had not been certain before the game what position he would even play.

Padilla came in cold and Republicans immediately took advantage, tacking on three additional runs to turn a manageable deficit into a rout.

The Republicans’ sartorial discipline matched their on-field performance.

For the first time in recent memory, both sides wore matching team uniforms rather than the patchwork of district-representing jerseys the Democrats have historically fielded.

The Republican uniforms featured the date of the June 2017 congressional baseball practice shooting, a tribute to the members and staff wounded that day.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who was shot and nearly killed in that attack, celebrated with the trophy after the final out was recorded.

Scalise struck out during his at-bat but was all smiles afterward, lifting the championship trophy with his teammates in front of the packed crowd.

The image of Scalise holding that trophy nine years after he was gravely injured at a congressional baseball practice carried a symbolism that was not lost on anyone in attendance.

Representative Rich McCormick of Georgia and Representative August Pfluger of Texas were among the Republicans who contributed on offense.

Former professional baseball player and current congressional candidate Mark Teixeira, who is expected to succeed outgoing Representative Chip Roy of Texas in the next Congress, appeared at the game and drew attention from fans and fellow Republicans alike.

Teixeira, a former first baseman who won a World Series championship with the New York Yankees, is already being discussed as a potential future star for the Republican team.

Democratic Representative Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky was named the MVP for his side after turning in a multi-hit performance, one of the few bright spots for a Democratic squad that simply had no answer for the Republican pitching and fielding combinations on the night.

McGarvey at least gave his fans something to cheer about, going to the plate and making contact in a game that otherwise left Democrats and their supporters hoping for small victories.

Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego had been bold before the first pitch, declaring that his team was obviously going to win.

Gallego’s prediction did not age well.

Arizona Representative Greg Stanton also saw action for the Democrats, and his chief of staff Brad Howard noted with restrained enthusiasm that at least the boss got a base hit.

Arizona Republican Representative Juan Ciscomani fist-bumped Democratic Representative Mike Levin of California as he moved between bases, a moment that captured the bipartisan spirit the event is designed to foster even amid fierce competition.

Representative Greg Murphy of North Carolina, a Republican, summed up what the evening represents better than any score could.

Murphy noted that elected officials do not often get the chance to spend genuine time with their counterparts on the other side of the aisle, and that the baseball game provides that rare opportunity.

Attendees echoed the sentiment throughout the night, with fans from both parties mingling in the stands and acknowledging that the charitable stakes mattered more than the partisan scoreboard.

That said, the scoreboard was hard to ignore.

The Republicans’ winning streak has now reached six years, an extraordinary run in an event that prides itself on competitive balance and the unpredictability of amateur-level play.

The Democrats have not won since the years before the pandemic, and Wednesday’s game did little to suggest that drought will end soon.

There had been considerable pressure on the Democrats to notch a win this year, in part because the Republican lineup is expected to grow even stronger next season.

Sanchez, undeterred by the prospect of facing Teixeira next year, dismissed the concern with characteristic confidence, suggesting that a Democratic wave in the November midterms might leave the Republicans short of players to even field a team.

She was smiling when she said it.

The game drew reactions from across the political spectrum.

Conservative commentators highlighted the streak as a metaphor for Republican momentum in Washington.

Democratic fans pointed to the record charitable fundraising as the true measure of success, noting that the money raised for local children and families represents the real victory regardless of which team holds the trophy.

Congressional Sports for Charity executive director Mark Johnson said he was grateful for everyone’s continued support and called the evening everything they could have hoped for.

He credited both sides with setting aside political differences to come together for families and children across the region.

The record attendance of more than 32,500 fans and the record $3.2 million raised reflect genuine public appetite for events that bridge partisan divides, even if only for one night a year.

The 2026 game also carried historical weight beyond the winning streak.

The tradition began in 1909 when a sportswriter challenged members of Congress to play a game, and it has endured through wars, recessions, pandemics, and every variety of political upheaval Washington has produced.

That it continues to draw record crowds and raise record money speaks to an enduring public desire to see their representatives behave like human beings, even if just for nine innings.

C-SPAN broadcast the game live, as it does every year, providing Americans across the country with the chance to watch their elected officials swing, throw, run the bases, and occasionally strike out in full public view.

It is one of the few occasions where the unscripted reality of Capitol Hill produces something genuinely enjoyable rather than something concerning.

For the Republican team, the night belonged to Scalise and to the tradition he helped carry even after surviving what could have been a fatal wound nine years ago.

His presence at the game each year serves as a reminder of both the vulnerability and the resilience of the people who serve in Congress, and his grin holding the trophy above his head was as compelling an image as the sport produced all evening.

The Democrats will regroup, practice, and return next year with what they hope will be a new approach.

They said the same thing last year, and the year before.

But until someone stops the Republican machine on that particular field, the streak continues.

Next year’s game is already being anticipated as a potential showdown between the returning Republican roster and what could be a dramatically different Democratic lineup depending on November’s results.

If Teixeira takes his seat in Congress, the Republicans will have a genuine professional hitter in the lineup, a prospect that has Democrats like Sanchez sharpening their trash talk well ahead of the 2027 game.