House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated Presidents Day with former President Donald Trump at his Florida estate to discuss the 2024 election cycle and Rep. Richard Hudson of National Republican Congressional Committee was also in attendance for this session.
One GOP aide dismissed speculation that former President Jimmy Carter might give their State of the Union response.
How to Grow the Majority
Tea Party activists worked tirelessly for years to build power at every level of government – from school boards and state legislatures, all the way up to Congress and even President Obama himself. They believed that to stop progressive legislation they needed to win elections and then gain control of those bodies through winning them over.
Since the GOP now boasts a much more tribal faction that does not see any benefit to compromise, this strategy has changed considerably. Anger from this camp can make its members targets in both internal and primary challenges–like those which rocked Kentucky and Wisconsin GOPs respectively–or primary challenges which aim to unseat sitting members from Congress.
Today is Johnson’s inaugural major test as speaker, as a vote on legislation to prevent another federal shutdown is taking place this afternoon. Johnson needs the help of Democratic votes for passage after members of his far-right base threatened a revolt over working with Democrats.
How to Win Votes Across the Country
At its core, winning an election requires more votes than its opponents; the art lies in reaching your victory number through persuasion – engaging voters on issues and discussing why they support your candidate in person or online.
As the primary electorate tends to be more partisan and extreme than general voting populations, it’s crucial that candidates focus on winning their primary and then reaching beyond it.
That may explain why some Senate Republicans are resisting Trump’s requests that they endorse his bid for president, perhaps as an admission that his candidacy will take shape without them and they don’t stand much of a chance of unseating him in February primaries and caucuses. Time may run out before making decisions regarding their future moves – and what their strategy will be once these events pass.
How to Make the Case to Voters
Dacoda Burkholder, 20, an undergraduate political science major at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, spends much of her time pondering elections and encouraging friends and family members to cast votes in them. Though she considers herself Republican and votes in GOP primaries in her red county of Texas, Burkholder sometimes favors Democratic candidates or policies as well.
She cites as an example the passage of the Republican immigration bill this week as too conservative, which she believes shows Trump and Republicans only offering half-measure solutions when voters seek complete transformation of American politics.
Johnson faces another significant obstacle: anxiety among House Republicans that they might lose their majority come November. House GOP fundraising has struggled, while the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has made inroads into that pool — most notably with their record $5 million haul last month! Johnson and his team are working on getting more funds into their system through new positions created and other means.
How to Win the Whip Count
Whipping is a process by which party leadership staffers approach members on the Senate floor or in their offices and inquire as to their voting intentions. While not wanting to appear pushy or pushover-ish, they must gain an idea of their likelihood of deviating from party line voting positions.
Evans’ research, drawing upon a vast database of private leadership polls conducted over five decades by private leadership pollsters regarding how members will vote on important bills, shows that whip tallies exert immense power in shaping how legislators vote on legislation in Congress and also disproves the theory that congressional majority parties act like powerful cartels which enforce conformity among their members.
Skilful execution and timing are crucial when it comes to gathering votes for legislation. Whips should create a plan before hand, while remaining flexible enough to change course if they sense it won’t work. They must identify who will support the bill before devising strategies to bring them onboard.
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