Republican Voters Must Turn Out in Midterms to Preserve and Codify Trump's Policy Wins
Source: Brianna Lyman. "Staying Home Won't Punish GOP, It Will Undo Trump's Wins." September 10, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that conservative voters who are frustrated with Republicans should still vote in the midterms because staying home won't punish politicians—it will undo Trump's policy wins on immigration and other issues. Since many of Trump's achievements exist only as executive orders that a future Democrat could easily reverse, voters need to elect more Republicans to Congress to turn those temporary wins into permanent law.
Conclusion
Conservative voters should not stay home from the midterm elections, because doing so would not punish Republicans but would instead undo Trump's accomplishments and prevent future conservative victories.
Premises
- Many of Trump's major accomplishments (border security, ending DEI, immigration enforcement) were achieved through executive orders, which can be easily rescinded by a future Democratic president.
- A Republican Congress has enabled some Trump wins through funding and legislative cooperation, but has failed to codify many others into permanent law.
- If Democrats gain control of Congress, they could withhold funding, launch investigations/impeachments, and otherwise undermine Trump's ability to maintain his policy successes.
- A stronger Republican majority in Congress is necessary to pass stalled legislation like the No Rogue Rulings Act and the SAVE America Act, which would make conservative policy wins permanent and curb judicial overreach.
- Staying home to 'punish' Republicans for insufficient action would primarily harm ordinary Americans, not the politicians, and would not actually motivate change since some 'squishy' Republicans might prefer minority status as an excuse for inaction.
- The absence of a border crisis today does not mean the threat is gone; it demonstrates that Trump's policies are working, and those policies remain fragile without congressional codification.
Assumptions
- Trump's specific policy agenda (border security, anti-DEI measures, tax cuts) represents the best interests of the country and 'the American people.'
- A Republican-controlled Congress would reliably act to codify Trump's executive actions into permanent law if given a larger majority.
- Democratic control of Congress would necessarily be used to reverse or undermine these policies rather than pursue alternative governance.
- Voter turnout is primarily driven by strategic calculation about policy consequences rather than other factors (enthusiasm, candidate quality, local issues).
- The characterization of judicial injunctions against Trump as a 'judicial coup' rather than legitimate constitutional checks is accurate.
- Congressional Republicans' past failures to pass certain legislation are due to insufficient majority size rather than substantive disagreement or strategic calculation.