Three top takeaways from 2022 midterm elections: ‘We need to elect conservatives’
When the U.S. Senate returns to D.C., the new members will have to answer to their constituents, particularly younger ones.
But if there’s anything Democrats can learn from the past two years, it’s that the GOP will look the same in 2022.
In 2018, the GOP got what it wanted — an overhaul of the tax code, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and a massive government spending spree that created a $1.5 trillion deficit.
Now some of the most moderate voters in the party, who were once willing to overlook the GOP’s “populist” agenda, are questioning it.
Some lawmakers are already talking about abolishing the tax penalties for Americans or changing how the government taxes corporations, while others are calling for a complete overhaul of the tax code.
It was never going to be easy to hold onto power in the House or Senate when voters saw their party abandon them. But now, despite the midterm election losses, Democrats can learn from it.
Republicans have a year to prepare for the next battle, especially if Democrats want to win their first majority in years.
“We have to elect conservatives,” Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told reporters last month. “And if we don’t elect conservatives, the Democrats are going to win it back in a month. I mean, people didn’t think [that] was going to happen. They thought that we were going to be able to hold onto the House and the Senate. But, let’s not underestimate it, but let’s go out now and elect a conservative.”
Democrats need to run on issues like health care and tax reform but also find a way to make the case over the next year that Republicans are a threat to progress. They have to make their voters believe a different America is one where you work for a living instead of relying on the government.
It starts with the base and their needs.
