Republicans lost Tuesday because we forgot the oldest lesson in politics: It is the economy, stupid. Americans did not suddenly embrace socialism or bigger government. Instead, they graded the GOP on a pocketbook scorecard of groceries, gasoline, housing and health care, then punished Republicans for failing to deliver financial relief they could feel.
Democrats captured both chambers of Congress, flipped governors offices and won statewide races across the country, including in Ohio, which President Donald Trump carried by double digits two years ago. Republicans must recognize that this election was a performance review and not simply the product of media bias, poor turnout or an ideological transformation of the country. The warning was clear before a single vote was counted. A Fox News poll found that 60% of voters considered the cost of living their greatest economic concern, 74% rated the economy negatively and only 18% said their families were better off than two years earlier.
Election Day was not a repudiation of every Republican principle. Voters still trusted the GOP more on crime, border security and immigration, but those advantages did not close the affordability gap.
TRUMP PLEDGES TO VETO ‘INSANE’ DEM BILLS, PINPOINTS ISSUE PARTIALLY TO BLAME FOR REPUBLICAN LOSSES
Republicans won the White House and both chambers in 2024 by promising economic relief, and voters judged the delivery of that promise through their bank accounts. Abandoning conservative principles would deliver more victories to Democrats and dismissing the losses as nothing more than anti-Trump anger would ignore the financial plea voters made. President Trump delivered tax relief, but Republicans failed to make broader affordability gains arrive quickly enough for families to feel them.
Democrats respond to government failure by demanding more government. They point to unaffordable housing and medical bills, invoke affordability and then call for larger budgets, new programs and expanded federal authority. Republicans cannot respond with abstract defenses of limited government while existing institutions remain expensive and unreliable.
The next Republican revolution must be a competence revolution focused on lowering the cost of living and putting American interests first. That requires government to perform its essential duties, enforce the law and remove barriers preventing families and businesses from succeeding. While Democrats measure government by how much it spends, Republicans must measure it by what families save.
The clearest opportunity to close the delivery gap is health care. A post-election KFF analysis of the national Voter Poll found that voters trusted Democrats over Republicans by 19 points on the issue. More than half said Trump administration policies had made their own health care costs worse, while only 10% said those costs had improved. Health care is a major pocketbook issue and voters judged Republicans by how much they are paying for their medical bills. More promises wont change that sentiment, but a plan that enforces price transparency, exposes hidden middleman markups, increases competition and requires timely explanations of coverage denials. That is competent government because it gives patients information and choices without creating a larger federal health care system.
Democratic control of both chambers of Congress still leaves President Trump with the power of the veto pen even
