Connor Daigle

Most Republicans are doing some serious reflecting today, and that's important. At its heart, Texas is still a conservative state. We experienced a red tsunami just two years ago. That doesn't change in such a short time. So what happened? Here are a few of my thoughts: Clearly, this election was a referendum on President Trump and the state of federal politics. Affordability is the top issue. The war in Iran is incredibly unpopular. Kitchen-table politics are still fundamental. In other words, it's the economy, stupid. We want to see America First, and that means substantive policy wins, not renaming bodies of water. President Trump has not delivered on the promises he made two years ago, and he is accountable for that. Some of his executive orders early in his term were great, but those should have resulted in some legislative victories. We reject the woke left, but we don't want a broken right either. Even with a Republican majority, Republicans couldn't get the SAVE America Act passed, get kill switches out of our cars, or get full transparency and accountability on the Epstein files. Frankly, Sen. Cornyn was part of this problem, and so is Sen. Cruz. If Sen. Cornyn had won the primary, he would have lost the general. If Sen. Cruz had been up for reelection yesterday, I believe he would have lost, too. Secondly, several issues in Texas politics have created major divisions within the Republican base. School choice was a big one. AI data centers and CBD are two others. These issues have fueled factional infighting and further polarized the base, especially among rural Republicans. When Republicans push unpopular policies and ignore the base, we can't win. Especially when it impacts rural Texans. Rural Texans are the heart and soul of our state. That should be the biggest lesson of all. There is also a perception that Republicans have controlled Texas for 25 plus years, yet they're still campaigning on fixing problems that should have been addressed a long time ago. It's hard to run on fixing property taxes when you've been in charge for over a decade. There is a lot of truth to this. I don't disagree, but it's not so simple because minority parties and their moderate allies still have a lot of influence in Texas politics. I guess that's good news for us. More on that in a minute. I'm also hearing that a lot of Republicans were beside themselves this morning, but they didn't get out and vote. Shame on them. I voted for every single Republican up and down the ballot because I believe in our platform. Even when I didn't fully support a candidate, I wasn't willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I know that with a Republican majority in the Legislature and Republicans holding statewide offices, we would have secured more conservative victories in the upcoming legislative session. That's why I voted the way I did. Instead, the state was handed not just to Democrats, but to the most radical Democrat socialists in the Texas Legislature. That's a scary thought. I'm a sixth-generation native Texan, but I know what it's like to live in a blue state. Abortion up until the time of birth, mandated vaccines with no exemptions, gun control, high taxes, extreme homeschool regulations, high prices on gas and utilities, open borders, major election fraud, sexualized children, zero parental rights, and defunded law enforcement. I've seen what happens when Democrats have complete control, and I don't want that for Texas. Not all is lost. Thankfully, Texas Republicans held the State Senate. This is really good considering our Texas ancestors created a system of government with strong checks and balances, and that makes it hard for one party to dismantle the state. The Texas Senate confirms gubernatorial appointments with a two-thirds majority. Appointments requiring Senate confirmation are subject to that constitutional safeguard, and the Senate can reject nominees. Democrats will need Republicans in the Senate to pass anything. But more importantly, Republicans still have the power to stop radical legislation in the Texas Senate with a simple majority vote. We may be the minority in the House, but it won't be a free-for-all for Democrats. Conservative Republicans in our Senate will hold the line. In the meantime, Republicans will regroup. New leaders will rise. We will go into 2028 with a new perspective and a lot of lessons learned. I hope we will be better for it. We are Texans. What a blessing that is. We will never forsake Texas. Most importantly, what comfort it is to know that God is sovereign. What Satan intends for evil, God intends for good. Always. #GodBlessTexas