Buckley's campaign was successful in re-energizing the conservative base. As Buckley biographer Sam Tanenhaus commented to The American Conservative, '[TAC Co-Founder] Pat Buchanan told me that after Goldwater's defeat in 1964 and before Nixon's victory in 1968, "Bill Buckley was all we had. He was the biggest guy."'
I think we know what the agenda items are. Accomplishing those is going to be hard with a small majority. The upshot is that Trump's prime-time address is unlikely to make more than a ripple in the congressional agenda over the coming months. It's the reality, Republicans acknowledged Wednesday, of life in Washington right now: Despite its trifecta, the party's legislative ambitions are being hemmed in by its barely-there majorities.
Under my bill, Governor [Tim] Walz (D) and the mayor of Minneapolis, who are openly defying the laws on the books that have been there for 30 years, would be subject to prosecution, Graham said. He then recounted his speech on the Senate floor that ended his opposition to the spending bill. I stood up and said, We are not going forward until we get a vote where we can stop sanctuary city policy, make it a crime to defy federal law
If Republicans are trying to do a solve,' what they should probably do is boost ACA subsidies for another couple years, but include a bunch of riders that transition it out and make room for larger HSAs. In other words, provide people some sort of glide path toward a new future, as opposed to a hard stop. Hard stops in American politics typically create massive political blowback, and 2026 looks like it's going to be pretty ugly for Republicans, anyway.
Desperate not to lose the House in the midterms, the president sought to rig the game. He pressured legislatures in red states to create new Republican-leaning districts, and lawmakers duly redrew their maps. That weakened some safe red seats, but the GOP assumed that it would hurt Democrats more. Last Tuesday's results demonstrate the folly of Trump's gamble.
Trump is planning on hosting tele-rallies for Ciattarelli, in which he will address supporters by phone. Meanwhile, allies and surrogates to the president are helping to raise millions of dollars for a pro-Ciattarelli super PAC, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Senior Republican strategists say Trump could be most helpful by energizing his voters during an off year-election, when turnout is likely to be down. In recent elections, Republicans have struggled to turn out voters when Trump isn't on the ballot.
If you want to know how worried Republicans are about Zohran Mamdani becoming New York's next mayor and putting in place popular pro-people policies, look no further than Donald Trump's social media post from Monday. Mamdani is heavily favored to win the race. However, after incumbent Eric Adams dropped out of the race this weekend, Republicans and some establishment Democrats see an opening for former New York governor Andrew Cuomo (D), who lost the primary to Mamdani in June.
On Sunday, Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law a legislative redrawing of the state's congressional districts, a gerrymander that will likely result in one fewer Democratic representative in the state's delegation in the next midterm elections, despite no huge ideological shift among voters. The move is part of a broader national scheme, planned by President Donald Trump's political team in coordination with state governors and legislatures, to mitigate potential seat losses in the 2026 midterms.
Even as most congressional Republicans are avoiding their constituents, one has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to engaging with voters in the flesh: 61-year-old Mark Alford of Missouri held not one but 15 public events across his district this week, including five town halls.
Recognize that the-, coalitions tend to come and go, and that the Republicans need to be aimed not at the hardcore base of their party, but at broadening that-, the Republican realm, if you will, by getting independents, and ticket splitters, and people who might be, you know, somewhat suspect of the Republicans, but need to be wooed in order to win elections.
Massie suggested that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are conspiring to prevent Trump from making recess appointments as Congress enjoys its usual summer break.
