I don’t think it bears repeating that Republicans got royally whacked on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The cries from super pollsters, Rich Barris of People’s Pundit, and Mark Mitchell of Rasmussen, two of the best in the business, are simply this: the GOP writ large is not focusing enough domestically. They are not focused like a laser on bringing down the costs that non-business-owning, lower-income Americans care about: healthcare, housing prices, grocery prices, and general cost of living.
Likewise, the election of Zohran Mamdani in New York points to a similar dynamic, if more on the left wing. Whatever your thoughts on the ideology of the man, he ran a campaign about lifting up struggling New Yorkers — many of whom weren’t the “takers” that too many in right-leaning media maliciously label working-class folks, but credentialed young college grads who thought that their choices and hard work would lead to a relatively easy path to a suburban life. Indeed, the white-collar cohort was one of Mamdani’s most loyal factions despite the eternal schtick of socialism being a working-class movement. But even they are feeling that a successful life is becoming out of reach. This can’t stand if we want to be successful into the future. Obviously, the GOP will have more in common with blue-collar, working-class families. But time is running out.
Republicans can, it is true, point to a lot of wins by the Trump administration and even tangibly argue that we haven’t seen a lot of his policies come to fruition. Some might even say that we are experiencing a better economy. But in politics, optics is everything and the optics aren’t showing it. People don’t feel ahead or better off. And that’s a problem.
One has to remember that the young people of today (40 and under) have been waiting for change since the Obama years and have, each time they put their support behind a political party, seen the political capital they gave politicians squandered on foreign adventurism and economic policies that tend to move GDP but not improve the lived experience of ordinary Americans.
Regardless of the unfortunate right-wing rifts opened up lately, there is truly an exasperation on the part of a lot of GOP-ers about how much capital Trump has had to expend on the Middle East and Ukraine after he promised to make domestic issues the central part of his second administration. Perhaps it’s justified, it may well be. But add to that the shutdown, which had a lot of normal, non-politically connected people scared by what they were hearing in the media, and you have the recipe for discontent that must be alleviated headed into 2026.
2025 is a warning to all Republicans.
First: the Democrats will use anything, as they did with the shutdown, to try to score political points. They gained more out of the shutdown than we give them credit for thanks to their toadies in the media.
Second: in DC very few of Trump’s executive orders have been codified into law by a very lazy Congress who seem more interested in foreign conflict and typical 1990s GOP fare than using the power of the federal government that they control to correct bad policies and speed through new legislation that rewards the blue-collar (and very young) Trump coalition and strengthens working families. They can and must act soon to mitigate a potentially disastrous 2026.
This also concerns the Minnesota GOP. As they search for statewide candidates for the midterms, they must understand that while Minnesota voters will never get behind someone who is obviously beyond the pale personality-wise, voters will not tolerate warmed-over or libertarian Republicanisms about tax cuts for the wealthy or attacks on workers and lower-income families as “lazy” or “unproductive.” They want real decisive action and leadership to alleviate the hardships created by runaway inflation and a financial and housing market that only works for the wealthy or the well-connected, and they want that economy moored in economic patriotism.
Healthcare is one place where the state and national party could choose to be more radical and make a statement that we want our healthcare prices lowered, now. The voters must see us acting and acting strong. We have a friend in President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy. They have acted decisively to try to lower healthcare costs for average families who can’t keep up with skyrocketing premiums.
Two things can be true at once. The economy is improving in some areas. The GOP should honestly, openly and soberly get that information to voters and let them know what they’ve accomplished. But the vast swath of the American people and Minnesotans still feel like the economy is mostly terrible for them and their families. You must act to alleviate their fears and never wave away their concerns like it’s nothing.
In short, there are only two ways for 2026: left-wing populism or right-wing populism; Mamdani or America First.
Many Americans perceive the very system to be broken and are on the point of turning to true radicals to maybe, finally, have their problems addressed.
The working class is speaking. Will we allow places like the Iron Range and Ohio to be up for grabs next year? Or will the GOP rise as true reformers like Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and yes, Donald Trump, and grab the populist moment to win ordinary Americans and secure their future at a time when normal people, those who in decades past would have been destined for a fairly decent life (often with one income), are looking for the party most interested in tackling the problems they and their families face?
Jacob Giese is the Vice Chair for Media at the St. Louis County GOP.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not represent an official position of Alpha News.
Jacob Giese
Jacob Giese is the Vice Chair for Media at the St. Louis County GOP.
