Today, as President Trump takes up the reigns of leading this county, it is an unfortunate – and rather distasteful – reality of politics that the last election means nothing.  While elections do have consequences (thank you President Obama), right or wrong we are always looking at how the next set of elections may pan out.  Here in New Hanover County, it means municipal elections this coming November and the midterm elections in the following year.

One of the iron-clad rules of politics is the party of the President always takes a shellacking in the midterms.  As ABC news put it in 2022:

Since the end of World War II, the president’s party has consistently gotten a lower share of the national House popular vote in the midterm than in the prior presidential election. Indeed, in the 19 midterm elections between 1946 and 2018, the president’s party has improved upon its share of the House popular vote just once. And since 1994, when (we would argue) the modern political alignment took hold, the president’s party has lost the national House popular vote in six out of seven midterm elections — usually by similar margins (6 to 9 percentage points) to boot. (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-the-presidents-party-almost-always-has-a-bad-midterm/)

In this day and age of Donald Trump, however, the reliability of iron-clad rules is often unknown.  While the Republicans did lose the House during his first term, the party now is quite different than the party of 2018.  During his first term, the President had a tenuous hold at best over the GOP and was constantly undermined by old-guard holdouts.  As we begin 2025, Donald Trump is clearly the leader of the party and will profoundly affect the outcomes of 2026.

The Grand Old Party does need to be smart, though.  Their majority is razor thin in both chambers of Congress.  The Democrats will take a bit to recover financially and their espirt de corp  from the Biden-Harris administration – but they will indeed recover.  But, if the Republicans are disciplined, midterms should not be a challenge.

Republicans Need To Govern -  And Govern As Republicans

The utter disaster of the first year of Donald Trump’s first term came down to the reality that Republicans were not ready to govern.  They made a great opposition party throughout the Obama years.  But, when given the White House, both chambers in Congress, and a majority on the Supreme Court they proved unwilling and unable to prove to those who elected them that they could steer the country properly.  The ACA, immigration, taxes, government bloat could have all been handled by the GOP, but nothing of lasting change came about.  Add to that an almost neurotic urge to air all their grievances against other Republicans publicly,  it came as no surprise the party of Lincoln saw Nancy Pelosi once again rise to Speaker of the House as a result of their loss in the midterms.

So far, the Republicans are not following these same losing patterns. At the national level, the GOP has passed the Laken Riley Act.  (https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5091435-senate-advances-laken-riley-act/) in both chambers of Congress.  They have already held multiple hearings for President Trump’s cabinet.  The House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 – also almost along party lines.  (https://www.carolinajournal.com/davis-casts-the-only-present-vote-in-womens-sports-protection-act/).  The Republican party is off to a great start in Washington.

Here in North Carolina, the Republican held legislature has plans to forge ahead with a budget that reduces taxes while increasing teacher pay and other services.  The New Hanover County Commission – again under the leadership of the GOP – is forging ahead with plans to build sustainable growth and cutting spending.

Republicans need to continue to address these and other issues such as high taxes, out of control regulation, tort laws that only benefit lawyers, social security reform, and crime.  These are Republican issues, and what Americans at every level truly care about.  If Republicans propose, pass, and implement these common sense laws that benefit every American, they will not have to work so hard at the next midterms.

Stop the Political Drama

Today’s announcement of even more pardon’s from the Biden administration has more than a few riled up.  Inevitably there will be calls for Congressional hearings on these actions, on the actions of the January 6 Committee, into various members of the outgoing administration, and so on. 

Hearings such as these serve no real purpose.  They do not result in effective legislation.  They never clear the air as all results are seen through political lenses.  They take an inordinate amount of time and spend an incredible amount of money. They are simply for political drama, for members of both sides of the aisle to spew forth their thoughts on the matter, pausing only to put forth a required question or two.

If Republicans want to show they are serious, they need to resist the urge to stop this political malpractice.  Focus on getting things done.  If members of Congress are convinced that unlawful behavior has occurred, they need to direct their concerns to the Trump-controlled Department of Justice.  Political antics – which covers the vast majority of items “investigated” by committees – should be put on the back burner.

Americans are tired of the hearings game.  Republicans need to show voters that they are committed to passing good laws that will benefit all Americans.  They need stay away from the political clown shows that accomplish nothing.  They need to rise above “politics as normal” – because America needs a new normal.

If Republicans can prove that political drama is a thing of the past, their chances in the midterms increase. 

Bipartisan is Not a Political Winner

Then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer  on the day after the elections – after he realized the loss his party took – offered the following words of wisdom to the Republicans:

“As I’ve said time and again, in both the majority and the minority, the only way to get things done in the Senate is through bipartisan legislation while maintaining our principles — and the next two years will be no different,” he said. (https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4977949-schumer-urges-new-senate-gop-majority-to-embrace-bipartisan-bills/)

Republicans need to understand that bipartisanship is only called for by the Democrats when they are in the minority.  When in the majority, the party of Biden forges ahead regardless of a similar call from Republicans.  The only time they hail a bill as bipartisan is when a Republican breaks ranks and votes with them – never as a result of honestly working to find a common ground.

With Republican control of the White House, The House, and the Senate Republicans should resist the urge to try to placate the Democrats.  The GOP needs to consider and write good bills and put those bills forward for consideration.  If Democrats want to join the winning side, they are more than invited to do so.  But, we should never go off our principles.

In fact, at every level where Republicans have a clear majority, Democrats should never even  be factored in.   Yes, they need to be listened to for consideration in their roles as elected representatives.  But they should NEVER be given positions of power.  They should never be kowtowed to in order to pass a bill or gain a political position.  They are there as political placeholders.  If Republicans hold to their values, these seat warmers will be deemed irrelevant and voted out come the next election.

Remember Reagan’s 11^th Commandment.

Ronald Reagan tried his best to bring the Republican party together by instituting the 11^th Commandment:  Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill of Another Republican:

A classic example of this commandment in action is during the debates before Trump’s first term when Governor Mike Huckabee was asked a question to bait him into disparaging his follow candidate.  He did not take the bait:

Far too often, though, Republicans are very quick to disparage their Republican colleagues.  Firebrands like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, Chip Roy and others openly criticize other GOP.  Matthew Gaetz without having any plan for replacement successfully ousted the Speaker of the House – needing Democrat help to do it.   All these squabbles serve only to give red meat to the press and give campaign fodder to those who say them.  They do nothing to unite the party, nor give voters any assurance that Republicans have a plan to better America.

Differences of opinion strengthen the party.  Arguments and dissent about policy will only help strengthen America.  But they must be done in private.  The sausage making is never pretty – and will never be so.  But, when the discussion closes and the door opens, the Republican party needs to show the American people they stand together and are ready to lead.

Republicans should never fall asleep at the helm.  Elections are never to be taken for granted.  Ironically, though, if Republicans stop worrying about being elected and focus more time and energy into being Republican and passing Republican laws, they will never have to worry about another election again.