Republicans Must Not Take the 2022 Midterms for Granted

As we enter 2022, Republican commentators and elected officials are very optimistic about Republican chances in the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans, however, should be wary of being overconfident.

Republicans should not assume that voters will blame Democrats for the tremendous challenges facing the country (record inflation, a lack of coronavirus tests, a botched Afghanistan withdrawal, etc.)

Many voters will believe Democrat talking points that Republicans are to blame or that the Democrats' programs need more time to work. Voters may also be persuaded that the conditions are not as bad as claimed.

Republicans should also not assume that voters even know that the problems exist. News shows do not cover certain issues, such as the crisis at the southern border, and social media companies ban various news stories, such as Twitter did with the New York Post and their reporting about Hunter Biden's laptop.

If voters do not watch certain news networks or read various websites, they may be unaware of important topics.

Republicans need to educate voters and stay focused on the issues which matter to the majority of people. According to an October 2021 Hill-Harris X poll, the top five issues that Americans feel are facing the country are the coronavirus, immigration, the economy, healthcare and terrorism.

It is likely that certain issues, like crime, may be more prevalent depending on the area of the country surveyed. Republican leaders should focus on the issues that matter the most to voters.

Republicans must be wary of spending their time on issues that are not the priority for most voters. They must also avoid focusing on issues and positions which, while important to the candidate and some Republican voters, cause many voters to vote Democratic.

Republican candidates must execute successful campaigns. They need to reach voters in their district/state with the candidates' policies and viewpoints; explain the flaws of the opposing candidate; and ensure that supporters vote during absentee voting, early voting and Election Day.

Republicans should remember that Democrats are just as motivated to win and that they will be fiercely campaigning. Republicans will have to vigorously campaign to beat the Democrats.

Republican need to develop strategies for events that will likely happen during the 2022 campaign. First, they need a plan for dealing with the national media generating a controversy, such as when ABC's George Stephanopoulos asked Gov. Mitt Romney a series of questions which created the myth of the Republican "war on women."

Second, Republicans should have a blueprint for how to respond when a Republican candidate makes a statement which other Republican candidates are asked to answer or repudiate, such as the situation with Todd Akin's comments in 2012.

Third, Republicans need to have responses for their positions on the veracity of the 2020 election and the cause of the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021.

The Democratic control of Congress and the presidency has created a disastrous record which should prompt Americans to vote Republican in the 2022 elections. Republicans, however, must not assume that they will prevail.