To spur red wave, Republicans must do more than slam Democrats
The prediction that Republicans will win control of the U.S. House — and perhaps even the Senate — in this year’s midterm elections has become somewhat of a conventional political wisdom.
Democrats are defending slim majorities in Congress at a time when most voters disapprove of President Biden, and trust Republicans more to address the key problems facing the country — including the economy, inflation, immigration, and crime.
Given voters’ widespread discontent with Democrats, criticizing the president and his party for their failures in these areas would likely be a sufficient strategy for the GOP to win control of Congress. That being said, in order for a true red-wave to take place in 2022 — and to sustain itself through 2024 — Republicans need to do more nationally and locally than just oppose Democrats’ overreaching progressive agenda.
Rather, the GOP will need to show voters why their party represents a better alternative to the Democratic Party — which can be accomplished only by proposing an inclusive and solutions-oriented agenda of the type that elected Glenn Youngkin as governor of Virginia last year.
Such an agenda prioritizes public safety, fiscal prudence, lower taxes, strengthening immigration laws and giving people the freedom to choose — whether allowing parents to have more choice over their child’s education, or giving citizens the freedom to make their own health decisions without government mandates.
Crucially, a successful GOP platform must also be forward-looking, not focused on relitigating the past. Swing-voters and independent voters largely believe Joe Biden’s 2020 win was legitimate, and view the Jan. 6 insurrection as an attack on democracy. By continuing to make assertions to the contrary — especially in the absence of a unifying, positive message — Republicans are alienating these key voters.
To be sure, relitigating the 2020 election is about the worst thing the Republicans can or should do if they are trying to build a strong base going forward into the 2024 election. Voters, and particularly swing-voters, are focused on addressing the challenges of today — not fighting about alleged voter fraud in the last election.
To that end, in terms of how best to handle Donald Trump — who is vastly unpopular with the broader electorate, though continues to dominate Republican politics — the GOP has found a viable roadmap in Glenn Youngkin, which they would be wise to utilize in close races this year.
In Virginia’s 2021 gubernatorial election, Glenn Youngkin turned out the
GOP base and won swingvoters in the suburbs by walking the fine-line between not embracing Donald Trump while also not making an enemy of the former president, and by campaigning on a conservative — yet practical — agenda.
If the GOP deploys this approach at the national level in 2022, Republicans may be able to win upward of 50 seats in the U.S. House, and would have strong chance of flipping the Senate.
However, with just six months until the midterms, no national Republican agenda has been set, which — to the GOP’s detriment — is allowing fringe proposals within the Republican Party to enter the national conversation.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott recently proposed his own agenda, much of which is highly controversial and problematically divisive. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell rightly warned that Scott’s agenda would alienate Independent voters, and could even split the GOP.
Some of Scott’s agenda items include completing the Southern border wall and naming it after Trump, declaring “there are two genders,” and imposing expiration dates for all federal laws — including those establishing Social Security and Medicare.
Aside from Scott, former Vice President Mike Pence is the only other Republican figure who has proposed a GOP agenda — dubbed the
“Freedom Agenda” — which is clearly intended as a stepping stone for his potential presidential run in 2024.
That being said, many of Pence’s proposals take the right approach: focusing on the future, ensuring America’s energy dominance, lowering taxes, empowering parents vis-a-vis their child’s education, and promoting individual liberties. However, some provisions — abolishing Planned Parenthood — would need to be moderated on a national level, as they are less palatable to the overall electorate.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is rumored to be working on the GOP national agenda with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich — yet, nothing concrete has emerged, only vague promises and criticisms of Democrats, which are less helpful than offering clear solutions to the major problems America faces.
With respect to addressing voters’ top concern — the economy and inflation — Republicans can propose an inclusive economic plan that provides tax incentives for job creation, focuses on deficit reduction and easing inflation, and advocates for government spending only on fiscally prudent programs that have broad support. Loosening burdensome regulations on America’s energy sector should also be prioritized.
Further, instead of simply criticizing Democrats for being soft on crime and weak on illegal immigration, the GOP needs to propose a viable alternative approach to addressing both crises. This can involve increasing funding to bolster and better-train both police officers in localities and patrol agents at the Southern border, while also making it clear that any officer who abuses their power will be held accountable.
Additionally, the GOP agenda should focus on promoting individual liberties and especially empowering parents vis-a-vis their child’s education through enhanced school choice opportunities and greater parental involvement in school curricula.
Ultimately, the GOP has a unique opportunity to capitalize on what many Americans see as a Democratic party that is unable to lead. However, Republicans merely opposing Democrats at every turn is not enough to produce a red-wave election in 2022, and will certainly not be enough to carry a pro-Republican trend through to 2024.
A forward-looking, moderate Republican agenda that offers solutions where Democrats have failed to provide them — while also avoiding pandering to the party’s extreme fringes and relitigating past grievances — is essential for the GOP’s prospects in 2022 and beyond.