OPINION:
On Tuesday, April 5, numerous local and special elections took place across the country. With the all-important midterms approaching in November, Tuesday was a good opportunity to get a sense of the country’s mood as we navigate the depths of Joe Biden’s crisis-after-crisis presidency. The results are in, and they tell a clear story: Republicans have real momentum. Mr. Biden’s failures have created a political environment for Republicans to share and contrast our conservative message of security, prosperity, and freedom. As Democrats let Americans down, we are doing the work to elect Republicans.
Norman, Oklahoma – a college town that went for Biden by 9 points in 2020 – held a mayoral election on Tuesday. Republican candidate Larry Heikkila secured a strong victory against a Democrat “defund the police” candidate, sending a clear message that the left’s long-standing attacks on law enforcement are fundamentally out of the American mainstream. This victory is reminiscent of elections last November that saw cities like Seattle and Minneapolis openly reject the Democrat defund-the-police agenda. Radical activists pushed these attacks on law enforcement into the mainstream of the Democrat Party, and voters are now holding them accountable.
The RNC invested in that Oklahoma race: our digital team sent get-out-the-vote emails and texts to nearly 10,000 local Republicans. We also invested heavily in numerous Wisconsin special elections. Our Wisconsin victory team assisted 145 local candidates and made nearly 300,000 voter contacts statewide leading up to the elections. Our Wisconsin election integrity team has hosted 100 trainings this cycle, delivering 200 trained volunteers who filled 220 poll-watching shifts throughout election day. The results? Waukesha County Judge Maria Lazar defeated incumbent Judge Lori Kornblum, a Gov. Tony Evers appointee, for a seat on the Court of Appeals. Kenosha County elected its first Republican – and first female – County Executive. And Democrat Portage County elected a Republican County Executive for the first time since 2006.
We saw similar stories in Georgia and Pennsylvania. In Georgia, Republican candidate Mitchell Kaye has taken the lead in a runoff for House District 45 – which Biden won in 2020. Noticing a trend? Our Georgia Victory Team knocked on 15,000 doors in that district and we ensured total poll-watching coverage. We retained a Republican seat in the Pennsylvania Legislature, where our Victory Team made nearly 9,000 voter contacts and had over 60 poll-watchers.
All politics is local, and these elections matter. When we say we intend to win up and down the ballot, we mean it. Securing these victories means that we are building lasting infrastructure: a get-out-the-vote foundation that will power us to victory when federal elections come around. When we go door-by-door, neighbor-by-neighbor, and community-by-community, we win. Our message of safe streets, lower prices, and protecting children from Democrat attacks in the classroom resonates with the American people. We just need to make sure everyone hears it.
These elections also serve as a barometer for how Americans feel about politics right now. Joe Biden’s policies have made life harder on a daily basis. We’re experiencing skyrocketing prices – especially at the gas pump – and fentanyl is flooding our streets through the open border, adding to a growing crime wave. Everything is more expensive. Everywhere is less safe. Meanwhile, the world seems to be on the brink of chaos as war erupts in Europe on Biden’s watch. At home and abroad, America is weaker than it was before Biden took office. People understand that, and they’re making their voices heard.
The RNC will continue to turn out votes and work at the grassroots level to arm candidates with the tools they need to win. As the midterms approach, electing Republicans is more important than ever – and we’re ready to do the work.
- Ronna McDaniel is chairwoman of the Republican National Committee
Please read our comment policy before commenting.