Sean Hannity Says Base Is 'Rightly' Mad Republicans Fell Short on SAVE Act

Sean Hannity told his radio audience on Friday that Republican voters were right to be angry that the party couldn't pass the SAVE Act. The House passed the SAVE America Act in February, and it would require documentary proof of citizenship to vote. Senate Republicans have also tried to add photo ID to vote through an amendment from Sen. Jon Husted, which failed to clear the 60-vote threshold.

The admission came 18 days before the midterms, inside a pitch to vote Republican anyway. It is a concession, not a revolt. Within the same breath, Hannity called politics "a team sport" and said the answer is to elect more Republicans.

"So this is what I'm trying to say to everybody, even if you're mad at Republicans and deservedly so some of them, they're not supporting this crazy agenda," Hannity said on The Sean Hannity Show. "You just have to accept one reality is it's a team sport. And unfortunately, we didn't have enough team members to support the SAVE Act, which I know made a lot of you mad, rightly so."

He followed with the stakes as he sees them: "But the more opportunities, the more Republicans that we elect, the better it's going to be. Forget about the SAVE Act. I mean, there won't be any voter ID."

How Far Sean Hannity's Criticism Goes

Hannity didn't name a single Republican who fell short. He said only that "we didn't have enough team members," without saying who or why.

The caveat came up more than once in the hour, and each time it was paired with a reason to stay loyal. Earlier, he allowed that "people that may be mad that our gas prices are high or things aren't perfect," adding, "there's not one Republican that is supporting this radicalized DSA agenda, not one." To a caller from Colorado he said, "even if you're mad at some republicans, you can primary them in a couple of years, but not one of them supports that DSA agenda."

He also told listeners to ignore the polls. He argued that pollsters are "off anywhere between five and eight points" against Republicans. Democrats currently lead by 8.1 points in PolitiKool's polling average of the generic congressional ballot.

The polling record is more mixed than Hannity's range suggests. The American Association for Public Opinion Research found that national polls in the final two weeks of the 2020 race were too favorable to Joe Biden by 3.9 percentage points on the margin. That is a gap in the margin between the candidates, not a five-to-eight-point undercount of Republicans. Harry Enten, the CNN analyst Hannity played, said a miss of "greater than three points" would be enough for Republicans to hold the House, a smaller figure than Hannity's.

SAVE Act: What the Senate Record Shows

The Senate record shows two obstacles. Democrats have voted as a bloc against the bill. A few Republicans have also broken ranks.

When the Senate voted 51-48 on March 17 to begin debate, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to vote no, and North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis didn't vote, the Deseret News reported. Majority Leader John Thune had already said he lacked the 50 Republican votes needed to scrap the filibuster, Votebeat reported.

During a vote-a-rama, Murkowski, Tillis, Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell and Maine Senator Susan Collins opposed South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham's version of an amendment on the bill. Utah Senator Mike Lee's version reached 50 votes, Fox News reported, but it still needed 60.

The latest attempt came on September 30. Republicans attached voter ID to a ban on congressional stock trading, and every Democrat voted against it. The 53-47 vote fell short of the 60 needed to begin debate.

Why the SAVE Act Matters to Hannity's Audience

The base's frustration makes sense given the numbers. A Gallup poll conducted in October 2024 found that 84 percent of Americans support photo ID to vote. It found that 83 percent support proof of citizenship for first-time registrants. Gallup found Republicans nearly unanimously back photo ID, while Democratic support is about 30 points lower, though still at the majority level.

Democrats who voted against the Sept. 30 bill objected to its voter ID language as voter suppression, the Deseret News reported.

What Happens Next

The Senate has not passed the bill. Republicans would need either enough Democratic votes to reach 60 or a majority willing to change the filibuster rules. Hannity did not raise the filibuster. In a general turnout pitch, he said Republicans are "right on the cusp of, you know, at least 52 U.S. senators being Republican."

That number would not be enough to clear 60.