admin
Fox News contributor Liz Peek was right to tell Republicans not to hit the panic button over one special election or a handful of shaky polls. Calm, competent conservatives should always respond to bad news with better organizing and clearer messaging, not with public freakouts that hand the narrative to the Democrats and their media allies. The real work is long-term persuasion and turnout, and that’s what won us so many elections in the past.
The Tennessee special election in the 7th District has grabbed headlines because the Emerson poll shows a surprisingly tight race in a district President Trump carried comfortably last year. That narrow margin is a wake-up call, not a surrender flag, and it underscores why campaigns must never take any district for granted—especially a post-Thanksgiving special where turnout quirks can bite you. Conservatives should treat this as an opportunity to sharpen the message and mobilize the base rather than as proof of an inevitable collapse.
Some on the right urge immediate panic because headlines sell clicks, but panicking is exactly what hands the Democrats tactical advantage. Red-state setbacks can be fixed with better field work, clearer local messaging, and by exposing the radical extremes of candidates like Aftyn Behn who try to disguise socialism as “fresh ideas.” Put bluntly: voters punished Democrats when they governed badly in blue cities, and they will again if Republicans present a clear, positive alternative.
The real fight right now is over the economy and affordability, and too many conservatives are still arguing about tone while Democrats peddle feel-good slogans. Fox itself has struggled lately to stitch together a coherent “affordability” narrative for Republicans, which leaves voters confused about what the GOP would actually do to lower costs. We need to stop defending past policy mistakes and start selling concrete relief—lower energy prices, deregulation, cutting waste, and real tax relief for working families.
That means Republicans must be unapologetically practical: explain how to bring down housing and grocery costs, how unleashing American energy and rolling back needless regulations will create supply and relieve inflationary pressure, and how restoring common-sense trade policy will stop price shocks. Voters want solutions, not performance art; the GOP should give them a plan that reads like common sense and sounds like pocketbook relief. The Tennessee race is a reminder that when Democrats run on “affordability” without delivering it, we must hold them accountable and offer a superior path forward.
Grassroots activists and local leaders should take Liz Peek’s sober counsel seriously: organize, message, and get voters to the polls. Panic breeds bad decisions and weak candidates; discipline and a laser focus on the issues that matter to hardworking Americans will win more elections than melodrama ever will. Conservatives built our movement on steady principles and practical governance—let’s get back to that playbook and show up to win.
The left and the legacy media will scream that every close race is the end of the GOP, but Americans know better. They see rising crime in blue cities, broken schools, and bloated budgets, and they want a party willing to fight for their families and their future. It’s time for Republicans to stop apologizing for common-sense policies, double down on delivering affordability, and remind voters who actually stands with them when the chips are down.
