If Republicans are to recover from a crushing midterm election, they need to understand why their defeat was so sweeping and what must be done to regain the trust of the American people.
Voters told pollsters that the issues most crucial to them were government corruption and the cost of living.
Democratic ads featured allegations that President Donald Trump had enriched himself in office, and they blamed him for the protracted conflict with Iran that has caused gas, diesel and grocery prices to rise.
Some candidates blamed tariffs for further driving up costs — especially in farm states such as Iowa and Kansas and states bordering Canada such as Michigan and Maine.
Republican congressional leaders sought to frame the election as a contrast between commonsense policies that benefit taxpayers and root out fraud and a crazy Democratic agenda that will explode government spending, raise taxes, weaken law enforcement and upend our system of government.
However, that message was sometimes overshadowed by news about Trump's plans to renovate the White House ballroom, repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, build a 250-foot triumphal arch or place his name on the Kennedy Center.
In an effort to increase turnout among his supporters, Trump urged voters to pretend he was on the ballot. That coincided with Democratic efforts to make the election about Trump and his policies — and to place restraints on his authority.
Republicans made gains with young voters, Hispanics and Black people in 2024, but those gains were reversed as the conflict with Iran and its economic repercussions dragged on.
Hispanics and others who supported Trump's successful border security measures recoiled at images of ICE agents being drawn into violent confrontations.
For several decades, Republicans and Black Democrats forged alliances on state legislative and congressional redistricting plans. In order to maximize Republican opportunities in 2026, Trump pressed state legislators to draw new congressional maps. In several cases, this involved efforts to dismantle the districts of veteran Black congressmen such as James Clyburn, D-S.C., and Bennie Thompson, D-MS This angered many Black voters and helped drive up their voting in states with hotly contested U.S. Senate races.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 2025, Black people comprised 37 percent of the population in Mississippi, the highest of any state in the nation, and 24 percent in South Carolina, compared to the national average of 14 percent. Democrat Scott Colom had a narrow but widening lead in Mississippi several days after the polls closed, and Democrat Annie Andrews scored an upset victory in South Carolina.
Looking toward 2028, Republicans should choose a presidential nominee who is grounded in core conservative principles and can articulate a plan that provides greater opportunities for future generations to prosper and realize the blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In the meantime, Congress may consider a ban on stock trading by members of Congress during the postelection lame-duck session. And it should expand that to the president's cabinet, as well as the president and vice president.
Trump is justified in stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons, but he must act decisively. If the Iranian regime will not agree to a verifiable plan to dismantle its nuclear weapons development, that regime should be removed so that new leaders can act in the best interests of the Iranian people and U.S. national security.
Going forward, Republicans must be guided by core conservative principles grounded in free market economics, defense of constitutional rights, and the protection of human life, religious liberty and parental rights in raising their children.
In the second part of "The Pilgrim's Progress," a classic allegory written in 1678, John Bunyan tells of Christiana's journey through the same dangerous territory that her husband had previously taken. She is fearful as she approaches the Valley of Humiliation, but her guide, Mr. Greatheart, consoles her: "It is the best and most fruitful piece of ground in all these parts ... for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and author of "Necessary Noise, How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why this is Good News for America" (Hachette 2019).
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