Republicans can add to their House majority in Congress by framing themselves as the party of optimism, a top GOP House member said.
In an interview with The Hill posted Monday, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. — the third ranking member of the chamber — also predicted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., will become one of the strongest House leaders in U.S. history.
"I think it's really important for Republicans to remember that we have to be the party of optimism, the party of a positive vision," Emmer told The Hill. "We have to be for things, not against things. We have to tell people what it is that we offer that the other side is not."
Emmer said the aim of the strategy is to demonstrate that Republicans create environments where people have opportunities, not handouts.
Though McCarthy struggled through 15 rounds of voting to be elected the top House post, the party has since dominated the national conversation on crime and energy, The Hill pointed out. Emmer predicted McCarthy "is going to go down in history, I believe, as one of the most powerful speakers in the last 100 years."
Upcoming challenges loom, however, including debt reduction and abortion after the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last year.
On the debt ceiling, Emmer told The Hill he's "confident" House Republicans will pass their debt limit and policy reform bill, which pairs a $1.5 trillion debt limit increase with what the GOP says will amount to around $4.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade.
Emmer will be in charge of rallying the 222 members of the four-seat House majority to support legislation — while appeasing hardline conservatives and members in swing districts.
"They haven't done anything over in the Senate. I expect if they like what we send over, that they will pass it through the Senate and the president will sign it," Emmer said. "If they don't like it, well, then I think the only other action the president can take is to come and sit down with the speaker."
Biden has called for a "clean" debt increase with no other stipulations, and has so far refused to negotiate with McCarthy until House Republicans come up with a 10-year budget framework.
On abortion, Emmer didn't advocate for a national ban.
"This is a federal system. We live in a constitutional republic. Under that system, the states are supposed to know best," Emmer told The Hill.
Emmer also suggested he might not endorse a presidential candidate in the 2024 primary, but told The Hill he would support Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who hasn't declared his White House candidacy.
"I know Ron DeSantis. I think he's a class act," Emmer told The Hill. "I think he's a brilliant human being. I think he's proven to be a great chief executive in Florida. I look forward to what the next few months are going to bring."
Emmer told The Hill that the formula for success in 2024 is "simple."
"You need the right candidate with the right message that has enough resources to get that message out to win — to win elections," Emmer said. "We did very well the last two cycles. In fact, we were the only Republican operation in the environment that was successful. I'm proud of that."
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